Southampton legend Benali insists Hasenhuttl is safe | OneFootball

Southampton legend Francis Benali says manager Ralph Hasenhuttl is safe.

Saints have picked up seven points from their opening seven matches but it is two defeats from the last two with back-to-back 1-0 losses in the Midlands.

Hasenhuttl is without integral midfielder Romeo Lavia, despite being just 18-years-old, and has weathered bigger storms than this as manager of the club.

Sport Republic invested around £60million in players during the summer window and only reluctantly sold a 30-year-old Oriol Romeu.

“I'm not surprised that Ralph Hassenhüttl is still manager of Southampton," Benali told the Southampton International Boat Show.

“I know the board and how they operate at Southampton, the new ownership coming in as well, and the support they give the board and the manager to get on and do their business.

“On a few of the heavy defeats, which no one likes to talk about so much, there was no knee-jerk reaction at the time from either the board or Ralph himself.

“We've seen already this season, there are clubs and owners that make decisions quickly and don't give a manager and his staff time to work on things and develop a plan and a culture and philosophy at a club, and Ralph has been given that."

He added: “Ralph can still bring something to the club and it's a big season, in many ways, with the money that's been spent on the back of some heavy defeats in the past.

“I look forward to seeing what Ralph can do with his squad, and I'm excited for the club and the players that are currently here."