Southampton boss Nathan Jones admitted that if the club had a core of older players, he may not have landed the job.

Jones was quickly picked as Ralph Hasenhuttl's replacement at the club, and acknowledged why he got the role.

Jones has been praised for his work in the Championship with younger players, lifting Luton Town to the playoffs last term.

“It's why I'm here. If it was a team of ageing superstars then I probably wouldn't be here," Jones told the Daily Echo.

“But the fact it's young hungry players who want to get better, my track record lends itself to that, so I'm really excited.

“When you see these players, athletes, blank canvasses you have to work with; it's very exciting. But amongst that, you then have to get results and these have to learn quickly."

He added: “They're young players and the Premier League can be very unforgiving. So we have to learn quickly while developing young talent.

“That's it; winning games while developing talent, that's basically what we have to do."