Southampton are preparing for life without manager Mauricio Pellegrino - even if they stay up.

The Mirror says Pellegrino is facing the sack at the end of the season even if he leads the south coast side to Premier League survival.

The Saints board have already started drawing up a short-list of potential replacements for Pellegrino – who has won just five of his 29 league games in charge.

Fulham's Slavisa Jokanovic and Ostersund chief Graham Potter are among those on the radar.

Pellegrino has fallen way short of the target he was set when he replaced Claude Puel last summer, which was to challenge for a European place via the league.