Mauricio Pellegrino has refused to accept that Charlie Austin has technical limitations which will see him overlooked for England’s World Cup squad.

Though the Saints boss was at pains to point out that squad selection is a job for Gareth Southgate and not for him, he admitted he hopes that Austin will be one of a number of his players that make it to Russia.

Austin is in hot form, with three goals in his last three games for Saints.

There is already talk as to whether he can force his way back into the England set-up, and Pellegrino rubbished talk that the striker is somehow unable to play at that level.

“For me Charlie is not a player who has got technical limitations,” insisted Pellegrino.

“Everybody has got limitations. As a person I have got a lot of limitations. Everybody has got limitations.

“I think also you have to know which is your main quality and your character to be a top player.

“Charlie has character and is competitive and now is training better and for me he deserves this opportunity to play because he was training much better than at the beginning, and this is the consequence of his job.

“After everybody has got strengths and weaknesses, but hopefully Charlie can continue in this moment and the team can improve.”

Of his England chances, Pellegrino added: “It’s not my concern at this moment.

“Obviously now England has got a top striker in the national team and you have to do a really good job.

“We have to be patient with the player because football is changing every single week.

“Hopefully Charlie can continue working with humility because every single player has to use the training session to be better.

“It doesn’t matter your result in the last few weeks. In football when you win, you have to win again. When you draw, you have to win again. When you lose, you have to win again. It is never finished.

“We have to use your behaviour in the training sessions to be a better player.

“Every single day you can improve your performance.

“As for the decision of the other manager it is not for me.”

Austin’s goals have reinvigorated Saints, and the manager hopes they will continue coming.

“Hopefully he will continue in the same way now his confidence is high,” said Pellegrino.

“After scoring three goals in the last two games it is important for him and important for the team.

“I have the same opinion – we have to create chances to try to find in every single game a different solution and way to attack.

“Everybody knows about the other teams and how to defend and every year teams are better in organisation and in this small space and small seconds be really clever, to decide as quick as possible.

“Hopefully we can continue scoring goals.

“We have a massive game Sunday and it is a nice challenge for us.”