Hughes axed by Southampton; Hasenhuttl reportedly top choice as successor

Mark Hughes was sacked by Southampton on Monday following a run of three wins in 22 league matches since succeeding Mauricio Pellegrino in March, the club announced.

Although Hughes was credited with keeping the Saints afloat last season, they are now mired in another relegation battle. His last match in charge was Saturday's 2-2 home draw with Manchester United, which saw the south coast outfit surrender a two-goal lead.

The club is looking to appoint a new manager before Saturday's trip to Cardiff City, and former RB Leipzig handler Ralph Hasenhuttl sits atop Southampton's wishlist, according to the Guardian's Ben Fisher.

Another name in the frame is believed to be Quique Sanchez Flores, who oversaw Watford for the 2015-16 campaign.

First-team coach and former Saints goalkeeper Kelvin Davis will take interim charge for Wednesday's match at Tottenham Hotspur. Hughes' loyal backroom staff of Mark Bowen and Eddie Niedzwiecki have followed the Welsh boss out of Southampton.

Rather than chase a short-term fix experienced in staving off the threat of relegation - like the outgoing Hughes, David Moyes, or Sam Allardyce - Southampton are determined to look further afield to help usher in a new, long-term identity. A fresh approach was already in the works at St Mary's, given vice-chairman Les Reed and technical director Martin Hunter both departed the club earlier this term.

In addition to the Hasenhuttl and Flores links, Southampton are also rumored to have been previously interested in Slavisa Jokanovic, who guided Fulham back to the Premier League but was recently sacked due to a woeful start to the campaign. The club recently distanced itself from reports it had approached Paulo Sousa.

Hasenhuttl, 51, has two promotions under his belt from managing German minnows VfR Aalen and FC Ingolstadt, and also guided RB Leipzig to second place in the 2017-18 Bundesliga season.