FRANNY Benali believes the chance to manage Saints is a ‘massive opportunity’.

Former RB Leipzig manager Ralph Hasenhuttl is the favourite to replace Mark Hughes.

And Saints legend Benali said: “This is a massive opportunity and will be an attractive position for many managers.

“A number of people are being linked and that’s no surprise. Looking at the squad we’ve got, I genuinely believes it’s good enough to stay up.

“It’s a big opportunity to get the right appointment and some stability which we haven’t had in recent times.

“The goalposts have moved That’s what makes this appointment so crucial.”

Benali believes Hughes was unfortunate to lose his job.

He added: "I was at the game against Manchester United and you could see the effort and commitment the players put in so Mark didn’t appear to have lost the dressing room.

“But ultimately there is pressure on managers to get results and one win in 14 is not good enough.

“Southampton haven’t been able to manage games well enough and what sealed Mark’s fate was the defeat at Fulham.”