Saints are set to confirm the appointment of Ralph Hasenhuttl in the next 24 hours.

The 51-year-old Austrian has agreed to take over at St Mary’s following the sacking of Mark Hughes on Monday morning.

Saints have been locked in talks with Hasenhuttl since the dismissal of Hughes. The parties have agreed terms and the club are set to confirm his as manager, with an announcement likely tomorrow morning after he has arrived in the country to formally sign a contract.

Kelvin Davis will still take charge of the game against Tottenham at Wembley with Hasenhuttl due to watch from the stands.

The former RB Leipzig boss will take over from then, holding his first training session with the squad on Thursday before facing the media.

There will be little time for Hasenhuttl to put his stamp on things before the crucial trip to Cardiff on Saturday.

After returning in the early hours of Thursday morning following the match at Spurs, the squad will be in for a recovery session at Staplewood in the afternoon, where the new manager will address his team.

There will be another pre-match training session on Friday before the players and management travel to Wales to prepare for this weekend’s fixture.

Hasenhuttl is, therefore, likely to rely on the advice of Davis and other senior staff members in helping to select the team to start against Cardiff while he gets to know his squad.

Saints have been impressed with Hasenhuttl’s vision for the club during the interview process, led by chairman Ralph Krueger and director of football operations Ross Wilson, and his determination to bring a style of play that suits their philosophy.

Though it will undoubtedly be difficult to implement during the middle of a season in which Saints are struggling, the club believe they have got the right man for the long term.

It will also offer Saints some continuity and stability while they work out what they want to do in terms of replacing Les Reed and Martin Hunter and establishing a new footballing structure.

There has been talk that former recruitment chief Paul Mitchell, now working for RB Leipzig, could return to the club.

However, the Daily Echo understands that is not an option that is currently being explored.