Sadio Mane could be set for a recall as Saints aim to end their struggles in front of goal.

Ronald Koeman’s side have failed to score in five of their last nine Premier League games as they have endured a mixed bag of recent results despite some good performances.

Koeman is searching for his best attacking combination and could well draft Mane back into the side to face Hull on Saturday as statistics reveal he is the most lethal Saints player in front of goal this campaign.

The Senegal international has scored an average of one every 259 minutes he has played in the Premier League this season, making his strike rate one per hour better than his nearest rival.

Mane has been at his best and his most dangerous when playing through the middle, but has often found himself starting matches out wide.

Elerjo Elia has the next best average with one goal every 327 minutes, but both of his strikes for the club came in one game at Newcastle.

Graziano Pelle’s eight league goals mean he has averaged one every 332 minutes. However, he has now gone 14 Premier League games without scoring.

Shane Long has a goal every 395 minutes while Dusan Tadic has an average of one every 492 minutes, though he has contributed seven assists.

Filip Djuricic has struggled for much game time since joining on loan and has not netted yet while Steven Davis and James Ward-Prowse have also yet to score in the Premier League this season, though not all of their minutes have been spent in such attacking roles as the others.

Ward-Prowse has also contributed a highly creditable six assists in the campaign.

The 20-year-old did come close twice at Everton, with a free kick that went narrowly wide and a fierce shot from distance that moved in the air before being batted away by Tim Howard.After a memorable goal for the England under-21s, Ward-Prowse believes they are not far away for his club.

“Scoring one goal then gives me the confidence to go out and, obviously, be more confident in front of goal and I felt that more than ever, so as long as I keep getting in the right areas and being aggressive in front of goal then hopefully it will come,” he said.

“It’s good to, obviously, contribute with a few assists, which is nice. A few goals here and there would be nice. I came close (at Everton), but I’m just looking to improve as a player and a person and make sure I can contribute as much as I can to the team.

“Obviously, we’re disappointed and we’ll be looking for a big reaction next week. It’s at home against a team that we know we can beat and, obviously, we’ve got our fans behind us, so there’s no reason why we can’t get out and win.”