Ralph Hasenhuttl goes into his first January transfer window as Saints boss ready for action but prepared to focus on the squad he already has.

Hasenhuttl was pleased to be able to give more of his players a run-out in the defeat against Manchester City as he sizes up who he does and doesn’t want as part of his future plans.

Saints do not have much of a January budget to speak of, so any incomings will have to be offset by player sales.

There do look to be a few who could be sold, with Cedric Soares and Manolo Gabbiadini chief among them.

Despite Hasenhuttl having already expressed his belief that the squad is too big there is unlikely to be a dramatic thinning out given the number of players on long and expensive contracts and the difficulty of doing business in January.

When asked how many players Saints might like to bring in during January, Hasenhuttl said: “I don’t know. We have a look.

“I have seen a few things that are very interesting for me in what I can expect from every player in the future and that’s important for me in making the right decisions.”

He added: “I don’t explain now. Let’s have a look.

“I said that it’s important for me to get this impression what they can play and it is tough over Christmas. That is not new.

“We have a lot of games and couldn’t hardly prepare anything for Man City so it was not so surprising in the first 20 minutes we had no chance.

“The mentality and character of the team is ok. They believe in their qualities and we can do it better than we did, we did it against Arsenal and we can do it against Chelsea.”

Saints chairman Ralph Krueger had previously said he didn’t expect the club to do any business in January, but the arrival of Hasenhuttl and his different take on matters has changed that perspective.

Soares and Gabbiadini are two players out of the current squad and with a potential market, likewise Steven Davis who is out of contract at the end of the season and so would not generate a substantial fee but would free up a senior salary.

It could be that Saints look to move on several players and bring in a couple to replace them, but the focus first of all will have to be on ensuring there are exit routes for some of the unhappy players.

“If something comes in we will sit together and find the best solutions for all,” said Hasenhuttl.

“If we can’t give them what we expect we find other solutions. That’s what we tell them.

“If we have a chance to transfer other players we will do it but speculations about who it is or what we do I think it’s not the right moment.”