Hasenhuttl: I’m not the new Klopp

Ralph Hasenhuttl has rejected his nickname “The Klopp of The Alps”, insisting he will build his own “character” at Southampton.

New Saints boss Hasenhuttl had shrugged off comparisons with his friend and Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, and prioritised dragging his new club out of the Premier League relegation zone.

Former Austria striker Hasenhuttl has become Saints’ fourth manager in less than 18 months, after Mark Hughes was sacked on Monday.

Asked about comparisons with Klopp, he said: “I have heard about it. I don’t like it so much; I want to be my own character. He has a very proactive way of playing and if I could do similar it would be fantastic for me, but my first target is to move as quickly as we can out of this relegation zone.”