Former Southampton defender Chris Perry believes that Saints manager Ronald Koeman is facing an unenviable task going into the new Premier League season.

After an exodus of players at St Mary's, Perry says that he cannot see Koeman matching the eighth-placed finish of last season.

"The amount of experience they have lost through the team, in Lovren, Lallana, Lambert and Shaw is going to be very hard to replace," he told talkSPORT.

"You have got to be looking further down the table at where they are going to finish next season," he continued. "Ronald Koeman has got three weeks to try and put a side together that is going to be facing Liverpool. I don't envy his task at all."

Southampton travel to Anfield on August 27 for their first game of the season.