MARK Hughes revealed he should have stayed at Fulham longer than he did.

Saints’ boss took charge of Fulham in July, 2010 but resigned at the end of his first season at Craven Cottage.

In his spell there, he took them to eighth in the Premier League, but felt the club wouldn’t match his ambition in the transfer window.

Hughes explained: “I have good memories of my time at Fulham.

“It was just circumstances at the time and it was well documented that the ownership were looking to sell and it was quite an old group that I had.

“I knew there were key elements of the team that needed to be replaced and maybe that was misinterpreted in the signs that I was getting. 

“I interpreted that it was better for me to leave and to leave the club in a good position in my view and see where the rest of my career would go.

Daily Echo:

Mark Hughes at his Fulham unveiling

“I probably got it wrong as I asked for a player to be bought and they were a little bit slow in deciding whether or not they were going to do it.

“I interpreted that in the wrong way and below and behold two weeks later they spent £10m on a player.

“And I thought, ‘hmm, maybe I should have hung around there a bit longer’.”

Despite leaving the club after a year, Hughes still holds Fulham in high regard.

He added: “It’s a good club and I have a lot of time for the people there.”