ANGUS Gunn lauded Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s leadership skills within the Saints dressing room.

Hojbjerg scored the winner against Brighton to move Ralph Hasenhuttl’s side five points clear of the relegation zone.

Hasenhuttl appointed the former Bayern Munich player as his captain shortly after he arrived at the club in December.

Gunn said: “He scored an identical goal in the international break with Denmark, so he had the confidence from that.

“It was a great move and an example of the way we are playing. We press high, win the ball and then counter.

“He is a great leader.

“If I didn’t know how old he was, I definitely wouldn’t say he is 23-years-old.

“He is one of the older heads in the dressing room if you like and, obviously, he has been around the block.

“He’s played for Bayern Munich, which is a massive club.

“He has been there and done it. He is a great player to have in the dressing room.”

Since joining the club last summer, Gunn has had to remain patient for an opportunity to play in the Premier League.

Alex McCarthy kept hold of the number one shirt until Saints’ trip to Chelsea at the beginning of January.

Gunn went on to keep a clean sheet in that match – the first shutout under Hasenhuttl – but lost his place for the following Premier League game.

The England U21 keeper was recalled in February for the Arsenal fixture and has managed to keep his spot in between the sticks.

And since Hasenhuttl made the change permanent, Saints have won three of their last four games, keeping two clean sheets in the process.

“It [being dropped after Chelsea] was tough, but I had that taste then, so I had the focus and I knew I could do it.

“I always believe in myself and, thankfully, it didn’t take too long to come around.

“I’m just happy we are picking up results now and we are looking to finish the season on a high.

“I’ve played the last four or five games in the league, where we have picked up a good amount of points and I feel quite settled.

“I feel like we are quite settled. We changed formation for Brighton as to how we were before the international break.

“I don’t know if that will be the case for the Liverpool game as they are a different team.

“I am more than confident that I can keep my place and, hopefully, we can continue keeping clean sheets and winning games.”