FULL-BACK Kyle Walker-Peters is relishing the challenge to “kick on” at Saints – and believes Ralph Hasenhuttl’s men can finish in the top 10 this season.

The 23-year-old, who played 10 games during a loan spell at the club last campaign, put pen-to-paper on a five-year deal at St Mary’s after moving from Tottenham for a fee reported to be £12million.

The England under-21 international played 90 minutes in all of Saints’ final seven Premier League fixtures last season, where they finished with four wins and three draws.

And Walker-Peters believes the capabilities of Hasenhuttl’s squad can push them higher up the table next season, after an 11th-placed finish in 2019-20.

He told talkSPORT: “I think the way we finished the previous season, I don’t see why we shouldn’t be looking to get into the top 10. We finished 11th, we just got above Everton.

“We need to be striving to get into that top 10, continue how we finished the last season and who knows?

“We weren’t too far off Europe. We don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves but I think it’s a realistic target.”

On joining up with the St Mary’s side permanently, Londoner Walker-Peters said: “I am over the moon.

“At Tottenham I always found it hard to even get a run of games and now I felt like after lockdown I was given that opportunity from Ralph. I was able to show the qualities I have.

“With a run of games you get confidence and you get your fitness, which is important. Now I am just looking to kick on again.

“My spot in the team isn’t solidified, I just need to keep showing what I’m capable of, keep performing and hopefully it will be a great season for us.

“I think we showed after lockdown we have taken a big step in improving as a team. That’s what really made it clear that it was the team for me.

“I was in the team for all the games and I felt confident and the team showed we had come a long way.”

Manager Hasenhuttl described as “a very good fit for our style” the right-back when Walker-Peters became a permanent member of his squad.

And the defender insists the Austrian boss has been brilliant to learn from, since he first arrived at Saints.

Quizzed on his relationship with Hasenhuttl, Walker-Peters replied: “He has been great. From the moment I got there, he made it clear to me what he wanted from his full-backs, what he wanted from his players and I think that’s always good.

“You go there and straight away you’ve got a clear idea. That was great for me.

“The pre-season is tough. He sort of kept it a similar format to what we did after lockdown.

“We started off the first week with not too much contact and just a lot of ball work, then slowly progressing into contact.

“But it’s been tough, really tough.”

Walker-Peters is expected to be part of Saints’ squad for their Premier League curtain-raiser at Crystal Palace, a week on Saturday.