Mark Hughes commands the same high respect in the St Mary’s dressing room as Ronald Koeman did while at the Saints helm, according to Dusan Tadic.

The now Netherlands boss led Saints to strong seventh and sixth place finishes in the Premier League in his two seasons in charge at the club, commanding great authority among the squad because of his glittering playing career.

The former Barcelona, Ajax and PSV star was an icon of his era and so too was current boss Hughes, who made his name as a bullish centre forward at Manchester United and Chelsea.

“They have that presence,” said Tadic, who Koeman brought to St Mary’s in 2014. “They have leadership, they have authority, you know, this is nice to have.

“When he [Hughes] tells you something you instantly have an extra respect because he’s done it so many times and he’s won so many football matches.

“He and his staff Eddie (Niedzwiecki) and Mark (Bowen) are great, they put in great effort and they give us a great energy. They change us completely.

“Our training sessions are very good, very sharp – sometimes short, but sharp – and you can feel immediately sharper.

“You feel sharper and in your reactions and everything, you can see on the team that it’s much sharper.”

Tadic has been a bright light for Saints since Hughes came in, and is expected to start tonight's vital relegation encounter at Swansea.

Certainly, the experienced Welshman, who was famous for his volleyed goals and all-action style as a player, is a big fan of the Serbia international, having singled the playmaker for praise after recent displays.

These compliments, the 29-year-old admits, gives him more motivation to keep performing.

“This gives you a lot of energy to work. He’s a great player and still we are watching some of his goals and skills,” he said.

“When he says good words it can motivate you to be better and I’m happy because of that, but I just want to show even more.”

Hughes has really helped Tadic, who struggled for consistency for most of the campaign under Mauricio Pellegrino.

The former FC Twente man revealed it had taken time for him to find the right mentality this season, with the team struggling badly in the Premier League.

“I was disappointed about the situation we were in and I think I was thinking too much about that,” he said. “This influenced my game.

“The last few games I’ve concentrated a little bit more on my own, on myself, to try and help as an individual to help my team.

“Before, perhaps, I was a little bit more disappointed and I was thinking too much about other things and not about what is most important.”

Overthinking things is a habit Tadic has tried to break.

He said: “It’s very true because in the end you just need to work your job and be focused on your thing. If you think too much ‘why does he do this, why does he do that’ you lose yourself, you must focus on yourself.

“I try to focus more on myself, to help the team and then that’s it, because we have great coaches who is thinking about a lot of details.

“I should not be worried about some things.”