Mark Hughes defends Southampton's Premier League position and accuses the media of setting sacking agenda

Reports recently emerged suggesting that Southampton have started to look for Hughes' replacement

Southampton manager Mark Hughes launched a defiant defence of the club’s position in the Premier League and accused the media of setting an agenda in response to reports surrounding his future.

The Saints are in the bottom three after winning just one match in the league this season and reports emerged that Southampton are already lining up a replacement for Hughes.

The former Wales international is preparing his side to face Manchester United in a vital league match after being knocked out of the League Cup on penalties in the week, and Hughes says positive results are the only way to turn their form around.

“It is what a lack of positive results brings,” he said before taking aim at reporters. “In this day and age sometimes there are media outlets that find it is in their interest to try and set the agenda, when really it is not backed up by the actual facts and reality of the situation within the club.

Mark Hughes is coming under increasing pressure at the helm of the Saints (Reuters)

“We have to deal with that. But the truth of the matter is, and I have said this for several weeks, if you gain good results, the pressure goes away to somebody else.”

“I am not the only manager in charge of a football club which is down at the bottom (of the league) and maybe is underachieving at the moment, I just seem to be getting the brunt of the speculation, rightly or wrongly.

“But I have been in the game a long time. It doesn’t faze me and actually makes me want to excel even more... that is the message I give to the players.”

Hughes brushes aside any speculation about his reported replacement as “water off a duck’s back”.

“I know how this game works. It is not a problem, it is people doing their business, but it is when it is a little bit obvious and when people try to set the agenda for the benefit of themselves that is when I rile against it.

“It is not challenging, because I feel we have good potential here, with players working exceptionally hard to get results.”

Southampton have not won a league match since beating Crystal Palace 2-0 on the first day of September, but Hughes believes it is only a matter of time before results start coming their way. “If you look at the effort and motivation of the group, you can see that in their play,” he said.

“The pressure will build until we get maximum points from Premier League games, but we are not very far away.”

Danny Ings will miss the Saturday’s match against United but Ryan Bertrand could make a return after suffering with a back problem.