Ralph Hasenhuttl provides Manchester United assessment & Southampton team news

Ralph Hasenhuttl has warned Manchester United not to ‘underestimate’ his Southampton side, ahead of Saturday’s Premier League fixture.

The 12:30 kick-off sees the Saints return to the ground where they lost 9-0 last season, which was a record-equalling biggest Premier League win.

It’s for that reason Hasenhuttl wants his side to perform to their very best this weekend, while the Southampton manager also gave updates on team news and was asked about United having an extra 24 hours to prepare for the game.

Here’s what the Austrian had to say in Friday’s pre-match press conference…

Expect a tough game

Southampton are in decent form and beat Tottenham Hotspur in midweek, while they recently ended Manchester City’s 12-game winning streak. Despite that, Hasenhuttl feels it will be difficult to come away from Old Trafford with all three points.

"For us, it is tough to go there and win,” he said. “Don’t underestimate us, but they are still the favourite in this game. We need a very good [performance].

"Their targets are high and expectations also, so far the results have been good in some moments, not perfect in others, but they are in touch with the Champions League spots and this is what this team should normally get with the quality they have got.

"We just played against Man City and Tottenham, and I am sure we will need a similarly good performance against them.”

Team news

Hasenhuttl also provided the latest on the fitness of Nathan Redmond and Tino Livramento.

"Reddy is still out, Tino is back and he is an option for tomorrow. We will have a look at what we want to do and what is possible, but we have some alternatives for this position."

Remembering that 9-0

Last season’s trip to Old Trafford was a chastening experience for the Saints, but Hasenhuttl said he doesn’t fear returning to the stadium.

“To be honest, I was never afraid of any team here,” he claimed. “We know about the difficulty of every away game, especially the top-six teams. This is the challenge we want to have.

"I am never afraid to go to any ground. If you are scared going to a ground, you should stay at home. We want to show we are better than last time."

No time for excuses

United last played on Tuesday, a full 24 hours before Southampton’s win away to Spurs. But Hasenhuttl insisted his team will be ready for the challenge of facing United.

"We have used the time so far good, for recovering. Still a few guys who are a bit, yeah, not so fresh. This is normal on the second day after a tough game.

"We have another 24 hours or so, which is enough, so tomorrow we’ll be in good shape and a good mindset also hopefully.

"We’ll find the right balance of players, who fit the game plan. The goal should be to make it better than last time. It will be interesting to see how tough it is against them.

"You can see that this season, after a tough start, we’re getting better and better. Meanwhile, it looks that we have found a way how we want to play and how to be successful."