RONALD Koeman says that Chelsea manager Guus Hiddink has had a big influence on his career ahead a reunion at St Mary's tomorrow.

Koeman was a player under Hiddink in 1987/88 when PSV Eindhoven won the Dutch league and cup double as well as the European Cup.

They then worked together with the Netherlands at the 1998 World Cup when the Blues interim boss was in charge and Koeman was a fresh-faced coach under him.

The Saints boss admits that Dutch legend Johan Cruyff was the one he learnt most off, but that the vastly experienced Hiddink has helped shape his career too.

“The biggest influence in my career as a player but also as a coach is Johan Cruyff,” he said.

“He had a big part of that, but also Guus Hiddink show me when I was a player at PSV in detail what you need to play on a high level.

“I always had a good understanding with him.

“I’m looking forward to see him on this Saturday.”

Koeman looked back on that treble trophy winning campaign at PSV.

“I remember that because we had a really strong team,” he said. “In that time we had a really strong team.

“We won the European Cup in 88 and we had really strong characters in the dressing room, but Guus was very clever and he was managing that in a very good way.

“That was the problem sometimes because strong characters sometimes they fight against themselves, but he was always in a good way to manage that. That was one of his big qualities.”

Koeman says he watched and learned from some of Holland’s greats, but has shaped his own style of management rather than trying emulate them.

“You learn from strengths of managers,” he said. “If you are a player and you think 'one day I will be the coach', you take good strengths of the coaches, what you have in your career, and that's the most important thing [you can do].

“The most important is be yourself, your own character and what you learn from them, the positives things, that's good but, finally, you need to be yourself.

“You can't act like somebody else. That's too easy for the players.”

Hiddink is in his second spell in temporary charge at Stamford Bridge.

He has an extraordinary record, having only lost once in 29 Premier League and FA Cup games overall.

The former Real Madrid boss is unbeaten in nine Premier League games as the Blues travel to Saints tomorrow.