Pochettino: A new Saints project has to start

Southampton concluded their campaign with a 1-1 draw against Manchester United on Sunday and the Argentinian expects talks to happen quickly to plan their next steps.

It caps a five-year period that has seen Southampton rise from League One football to a top-half finish in the Premier League and pushing for European places in the top flight.

Pochettino has been linked with a move away from the club during the close-season with Tottenham reported to be interested in his services, but he expects to be involved in discussions on how the club move forward.

"I still have one more year on my contract left, it is normal rumours start cropping up regarding myself and the players," Pochettino said. "We are coming to the end of a five-year project.

"We've achieved what we wanted as this project, now a new project has to start.

"This club deserves to begin a new project, the board have to decide how that happens, whether it’s a two, three or five year project, we'll see.

"Tomorrow we will sit down and talk and decide everything."

Adam Lallana and Luke Shaw, who have also attracted interest, were both substituted in the second-half against United however Pochettino insisted neither decision was made to enable the players to thank the fans before departing.

"I took Adam off because I thought he was tired, it was mainly a tactical decision," he added.

"And Luke Shaw came off because he had cramp so there wasn't anything behind those decisions."