Hasenhuttl vows to weed out Saints squad
RALPH Hasenhuttl has warned he will trim Southampton’s squad before seeking new signings in the January transfer window.
Saints’ new Austrian boss will take charge of his first match in today’s crunch Premier League clash at Cardiff, and has revealed he wants to reduce the numbers in his squad.
Saints boast just one win in 15 league matches this term, with Hasenhuttl becoming the club’s fourth permanent manager in less than 18 months.
Insisting he will look to continue the club’s record of promoting from the academy, Hasenhuttl said: “We’ve just had a look at the players we have now; I want to bring them to their limits.
“I don’t know where the limits are and if they like to go this way with us they are invited to and when they follow us it will be an intensive, hard working way.
“When they push their limits we will see where they get.
“If someone says it is it too much running or work for me they will fall very quick beside us. That’s how I want to work at January and that’s when we look.
“At first I think the squad is very big so we have a lot of positions where we have too many players and maybe one or the other is leaving us and we bring something new.
“I have spoken with the chairman about that and they will do everything to help my wishes.”
Southampton face two pivotal away battles in the early relegation stakes, with Huddersfield to follow on December 22.