Daily Echo:

MAURICIO Pellegrino will announce his backroom team before Saints head off to Austria for the first of two pre-season trips on Monday.

The Daily Echo understands Eric Black will be staying on at St Mary's as a first-team coach, while Pellegrino has also selected two of his own personnel to join him at the club.

Black was assistant manager to Claude Puel last term but after the Frenchman was sacked and replaced with Pellegrino, his future was very much uncertain.

But, while Puel's first-team coach Pascal Plancque will depart, Black, 53, is set to remain in the dugout next term.

Saints feel the Scotsman, who is said to be popular among the players, can offer support to Pellegrino as he settles in to his first management job in the Premier League, as he did for Puel.

Black's familiarity with the current squad and experience of English football is viewed as highly valuable.

Dave Watson will also remain in his role as head of goalkeeping.

The 43-year-old has been a permanent fixture of Saints' backroom team since 2014, having been appointed in his current role when Ronald Koeman arrived at St Mary's.

Pellegrino's backroom team will be announced before the end of the week, with details and paperwork being finalised, and then Saints will head off to Austria as pre-season really gets under way.

On the week-long trip, they will be playing one game alongside an intensive training camp.

The club will then return to play a friendly at Brentford on July 22, before heading to France two days later.

Saints will be revealing friendly matches for their trips to the continent imminently.

The majority of the team returned on Monday for early fitness testing, while those who have been, or still are, on international duty have been granted extended leave to recuperate.

Those who have been on international duty will, for the most part, return on Friday ahead of the Austria trip.