Ralph Hasenhuttl described securing Saints’ Premier League safety with two games remaining as “tremendous, amazing, sensational.”

An incredible 3-3 draw with Bournemouth at St Mary’s as Cardiff lost to Fulham made Saints mathematically safe.

Saints had just nine points from 15 games when Hasenhuttl took charge but the Austrian has inspired a remarkable turnaround with his team collecting 29 from 21 matches to ensure they will be in the top flight again next year.

A delighted Hasenhuttl said: “Amazing. A little bit tired after a very intensive and crazy game but happy. Very happy for the club, the supporters, my players, my staff, everybody who is with us.

“To be clear two games before the end is tremendous, is amazing, is sensational.

“Everybody knows after my first game we were five behind Cardiff with a very tough schedule over the Christmas days and it was really maybe one of the most difficult jobs so far for me as a manager to come back with this team.

“We are very happy for the team and we had the feeling we deserved to get these points because we did a lot for it.

“When I think back to the training camp in Tenerife after losing the Cardiff game it was a horrible emotional feeling and how we went there and what we did there and how we did it and built up a new belief in what we were doing was very intensive and hard work.

“I say thanks to all the staff and the players. They were going this way on this journey.

“A lot of players showed you can expect much more from them than they showed at the beginning of the season and that was key for us to stay in the league.

“We took some very interesting decisions not to sign any players in the winter break and sent a few players away. Not everybody believed it was the right decision but in the end you can see with hard work and giving trust to the players here you can make a fantastic second part of the season.

“If you see the game today it was everything what we have learnt so far - changing the shape, pressing early, attacking early, then sitting back and maybe a bit more defence but not really. It was everything. A complete summary of all the stuff we have learnt so far.”

Hasenhuttl admitted that he did have one nagging doubt over the lack of January business, but was pleased it worked out in the end.

“Actually there was a minute when Ingsy and Obafemi was injured and Longy also had problems I think and we had nearly no player for the offensive,” he confessed.

“At that moment I was thinking ‘I don’t know if it was the right decision’, but in the end maybe that was the chance why a young Josh Sims or somebody else gets the chance to play and shows up.

“You must bring the best out of every player and then you deserve to earn something from it.

“Finally we did not make so many mistakes.”