Southampton manager Claude Puel has said that he is confident of remaining in charge of the club beyond the end of the season, despite recent reports of dressing room unrest.
The Saints have collected one point from the last nine on offer in the Premier League and, even if they were to win their remaining five fixtures, will fall short of their points tally from the past two seasons.
According to reports in Puel's homeland, which first emerged earlier this week, certain players have grown disillusioned by his management style and have voiced concerns to director of football Les Reed.
Puel is unaware of any unhappiness, however, and is adamant that he is the right man to continue the long-term project on the South Coast.
"I came here for a project, to continue this work to improve all these young players," he told reporters. "Many players have become starting players this year, like Maya Yoshida, Oriol Romeu, Jack Stephens; so it's important to continue this role and keep building the future of Southampton.
"I've been surprised to see these reports, because it seems for me it has been an interesting season with many games. There have been European games, cup games, with quality. We reached the [EFL Cup] final at Wembley against Manchester United and we've also improved many players.
"Many players can still improve, so it's been interesting work I think. So it has surprised me to see and read all this speculation in particular."
Puel also revealed that Charlie Austin and Matt Targett have a slim chance of featuring at Anfield this weekend, where Southampton are looking to maintain their recent unbeaten run against Liverpool.
Daniel Lewis
