Ronald Koeman has extra motivation for steering Saints to European football – he believes it will help him keep his squad together.

The Saints boss admitted he was relieved he didn’t have to fend off any offers for his star names in the January transfer window.

But he knows that is unlikely to be the case this summer with clubs already circling for the likes of Nathaniel Clyne and Morgan Schneiderlin.

All footballers want to test themselves at the highest level, and Koeman knows that if Saints can offer Euro football they have a much better chance of retaining their top players.

He said: “That maybe will be a question for these players, that they like to play in European football and that they like to play Champions League football.

“If there is any interest for these players it will be maybe easier for us if we play European football to keep the players.

“That’s always maybe an important reason for a player to stay or not to stay.”

He added: “I know the situation. We are Southampton and if we are doing well there is always interest in players.

“It’s due to the success of the club, and it’s good.

“I like this rather than to be on the bottom of the league and there is no interest in the players, because then we have to be afraid.”

Saints this afternoon aim to bolster their European hopes by returning to winning ways against QPR at Loftus Road.

With Schneiderlin and Victor Wanyama returning from injury, they are slowly starting to get nearer to full strength.

“We had a little bit struggling the last few weeks, not in the results because we had a great week with Man United and Newcastle, but we don’t have that kind of number of players and we have a little bit of a problem when we have like last two weeks a bench with only under-21 players,” said Koeman.

“Still we are fourth on the table, in my opinion it’s amazing what we are doing, and it’s difficult to keep that.

“There is a possibility if we keep everybody fit and available to fight for European football.”