Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl hints at retiring from football in two years and doesn’t want to be another Hodgson

RALPH HASENHUTTL has indicated he plans to step down from management in two years.

The Southampton boss, 54, says he doesn’t want to be a veteran gaffer like Roy Hodgson.

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Speaking to German publication Kicker, Hasenhuttl has revealed he wants to leave Saints on “very healthy feet by 2024” and then leave.

He said: “I always wanted to prove to myself that I could do very well working for a club for a longer period of time.

“Hopefully it’s been five and a half years here, that’s a damn long time in modern football, and then it’s probably like that.

“Five and a half years in the Premier League, that’s a lot of energy, regardless of job satisfaction. I can’t imagine that I would want to do anything else in the coaching job after that.”

Should Hasenhuttl remain in his current role for two more years, he would be Southampton’s longest-serving manager since Chris Nicholl, who was in charge from 1985 to 1991.

He is said to have already informed Saints’ new owner, Sport Republic, of his ambitions.

Hasenhüttl adds: “Saying no to everything else is also a yes to yourself, and that’s what I want.

“It’s the solid plan and I hope I have the strength to see it through. [I want to] Put Southampton on a very healthy footing by 2024, but that’s about it.

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“Then I’ll be 57 years old. I want to experience other things and not sit on the bench like Roy Hodgson at 74. Definitely not.”

Southampton endured a difficult season last season, finishing 15th.

They start the 2022/23 season at home with Leeds United.

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