Southampton appoint Mark Hughes as new manager with task of steering club to Premier League safety

Saints sacked Mauricio Pellegrino on Monday evening following a terrible run of only one win in 17 Premier League matches

Mark Hughes was sacked by Stoke City in January (Getty)

Southampton have appointed Mark Hughes as their new manager on an initial short-term contract until the end of the season, and have tasked the Welshman with steering the club away from relegation.

Saints sacked Mauricio Pellegrino on Monday evening following a terrible run of only one win in 17 Premier League matches which leaves the club one place and one point above the bottom three.

Hughes left Stoke City in January after four-and-a-half seasons in charge, where he achieved a run of creditable mid-table finishes before this season’s struggles led to his departure. Southampton see his experience as vital in their bid to avoid relegation.

The manager is set to take training on Thursday ahead of the FA Cup quarter-final against Wigan Athletic on Sunday, and will then have two weeks to prepare for the first of eight critical Premier League games, starting at West Ham on 31 March.

Whether Hughes is kept on to the start of next season will depend on the impact he makes over the coming weeks, and the Southampton hierarchy will assess his performance and the end of what has been a disastrous campaign.

Pellegrino was charged with establishing a more attractive and adventurous style of football, following Claude Puel’s departure last summer, but the Argentine’s failure has shifted the club’s priorities and in the short-term any style of play will do, so long as it preserves their top-flight status.

“It’s a challenge I’m excited by,” Hughes said. “It’s a great opportunity to come back to a club I know well, and a club I’ve got a real affinity with, and I couldn’t turn that down.

“I bring experience of the Premier League. I understand what it takes in this league to win games. But first and foremost I think it’s about coming in and maybe being that different voice, that different message.

“The objective clearly is to remain in the league and make sure we’re a Premier League club next year. That’s where this club needs to be, that’s where it should be, and that’s our intention to make sure it remains there.”

Hughes will be joined at St Mary’s by new assistant manager Mark Bowen and assistant first-team coach Eddie Niedzwiecki, to work alongside existing first-team coach Kelvin Davis, goalkeeping coach Dave Watson and head of sports science Alek Gross.

Hughes played for Southampton between 1998 and 2000, making 52 appearances in the Premier League. He has managed Blackburn, Manchester City, Fulham and Queens Park Rangers, as well as a four-year spell in charge of Wales.