Ralph Hasenhuttl backed by Southampton legends Matt Le Tissier and Francis Benali, and talkSPORT told ‘no rumblings from within club that he’s about to lose his job’

Southampton legend Matt Le Tissier claims there is no pressure on manager Ralph Hasenhuttl from within the struggling Premier League club.

Saints have lost eight of their last nine top-flight matches, which included a 9-0 hammering by Manchester United, to leave them in 14th place.

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Last November, Southampton had gone top of the league with a 2-0 win over Newcastle, but Hasenhuttl’s side have since been decimated by injuries.

The recent run of form, which sees Saints seven points above 18th place Fulham, has resulted in question marks over Hasenhuttl’s position.

However Le Tissier, who scored 212 goals in 543 games for Southampton, believes club bosses still have faith in the Austrian coach.

“I haven’t heard any rumblings from within the football club that there is talk that he’s about to lose his job," Le Tissier told the talkSPORT Breakfast. "I haven’t heard any whispers of that.

"It’s a strange one because you look at the run they’re on, and most clubs with a manager on that kind of run - there would be a lot of talk and pressure on him.

“But it doesn’t seem to be the case with Southampton. They seem to believe in the manager.

“Given what he did to the team after last season’s 9-0 result [to Leicester], you can see why there is a belief in him there.

“Obviously, I would imagine the reason he hasn’t come under pressure is because the board knows the restrictions they’ve placed on him in terms of strengthening the squad and what there is available to do that.

“We had to wheel and deal a bit in January and get rid of a couple of players on loan, so we could afford to get in [Takumi] Minamino.

“It’s not a great position for the manager when he’s not really got the funds to do anything to strengthen the team when he’s having this injury crisis.”

Meanwhile, former Southampton star Francis Benali has also thrown his support behind Hasenhuttl.

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He said: “I’m positive about him and I’m frustrated for him.

"I’m frustrated as a Southampton supporter and former player seeing my side struggle given where we once were this season.

“You could probably take every club into one pot - maybe bar Manchester City - where everyone is struggling with injuries or a little bit of form and finding that consistency.

“It has really affected us, but we’ve taken it to another level it seems.”