Defiant Claude Puel defended his position as Saints boss after his side moved within touching distance of an eighth placed finish with a 2-1 win at Middlesbrough.

Puel’s future has been the subject of intense speculation in recent weeks, despite the Frenchman having led the club to the EFL Cup final and a potential Premier League position that would be the best of the rest behind a very strong top seven this season.

He dismissed recent talk of problems in the dressing room and evidenced the recent hard working and determined displays against Liverpool, Arsenal and Boro, despite there not being left much to play for, as proof the team are still striving.

He said: “I don’t know where comes this speculation because I didn’t see anything at the training sessions.

“I cannot say other things about speculation.

“The most important is to keep the good answer on the pitch.

“If there is some problem in the squad we could not see this spirit, this attitude in the last games of the season after all these games. We just see a good answer.”

Puel was asked whether he still expects to be in charge of Saints next season, and effectively said he didn’t get why his position would be under threat as he replied that he was working for the future and so ‘didn’t understand the question.’ Certainly a strong finish to the season would make it harder for Puel to be axed.

If Saints were to end up in eighth place then it would probably be fair to surmise that that was about as good a finish as could have been reasonably expected this season, even if it hasn’t been achieved in the most thrilling of ways.

Puel feels his side are still being driven on by the chance of finishing as high up the table as possible, and again pointed to that as a show of spirit and unity from the squad.

“The motivation we know and we show the motivation of the team with all these games with a good attitude,” said the Saints boss.

“Just perhaps against Hull City it was without the good intensity and rhythm but all the games we can play with good quality, spirit and intensity and this is very important.

“It is interesting at the end of the season to see this attitude and of course we have got to try and finish in the first half of the table.

“It will be a good reward for the team and for the good work I think we can do since the beginning of the season.”