Under Mark Hughes before his dismissal last December, Southampton looked in real danger of going down.

Thanks to Ralph Hasenhuttl, though, the south coast club managed to turn things around. An ex-Saint, however, is not getting too carried away and believes his former side have got to do much better next season.

"Now it’s a case of building and having a realistic expectation," Kevin Keegan told the Daily Echo. "If you are Southampton, you are not going to finish in the top-six very easily, but you are certainly capable of finish from seventh down to 14th."

This is a Southampton side with some very good players. As Keegan has pointed out, they have it in them to do way better than a 16th-place finish.

After losing some big names summer after summer, a decline was inevitable, leaving Hasenhuttl's squad needing some urgent surgery.

The former RB Leipzig manager, for example, could do with a new No.9. But when you look elsewhere, he certainly has some decent options.

The likes of Nathan Redmond, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Mario Lemina, to name a few players, all bring a lot to the table.

Build on that, and Hasenhuttl could take Southampton far next season, may be even close to where Ronald Koeman and Mauricio Pochettino once had them.

For the 51-year-old, the foundation is certainly there and it is now just about building on it, in the words of Keegan.

Southampton fans, can you see your club finishing in the top half of the table next season? Let us know in the comment section below!