Mauricio Pellegrino has urged Saints to show the “best version” of themselves when they return to a nightmare run of fixtures after the international break.

Saints go into a fortnight off on the back of defeat to Burnley, and know when they return they must face all of the Premier League’s top six before the turn of the year, with five of those games away from home.

It is a daunting prospect for Saints, who have only picked up three wins from 12 games in all competitions so far this season.

However, Pellegrino said: “We will see how we approach this challenge in the next month.

“I have got the illusion to try to show our best version.”

Pellegrino will lose a number of players to international duty now, but will have some of his squad left to work with at Staplewood.

“Always there is aspects that you have to improve but I think with the ball, without the ball, in terms of concentration we were focussed the majority of the game and we were better than Burnley,” he reflected.

“We show a good face today, good personality, in the team but always you can improve.

“Sometimes we did the change to try and win the game, we lose the game, but football is something unpredictable and you can’t manage this.”