RALPH Hasenhuttl admitted he felt “very much at home” at Saints and added: “I really can't think of a better job at the moment."

The Austrian boss has masterminded the St Mary’s side to a highly-impressive start to the Premier League campaign.

Since losing against Crystal Palace and Tottenham during their opening two encounters, Hasenhuttl’s men have rattled off five wins out of six to climb to fourth in the league table.

Saints are only two points behind early leaders Leicester City and briefly topped the league standings after their 2-0 success over Newcastle last time out.

Speculation has arisen as to the Austrian’s future at St Mary’s - having been tipped to replace Ole Gunnar Solskjaer at Manchester United.

But in an interview with German outlet Kicker, the 53-year-old, who signed a fresh four-year deal in the summer, insists he is settled where he is.

He said: "My wife and I feel very much at home here, we love southern England, the people like us.

"And I can fully concentrate on football here, the work is great fun. Here at the club, I can move anything I want to move. I can act as I see fit.

"A trust has grown there that I had never seen before in this business.

"I really can't think of a better job at the moment."

With talk of Saints pushing for Europe this campaign, Hasenhuttl said a place in the top-10 would be a realistic aim.

The manager did however admit: “I also like to be unrealistic.”

Asked about securing a Europa League place, the former RB Leipzig manager said: “That would be madness.

"The competition is of course brutal. Everton, Aston Villa and Wolverhampton spent a lot of money in addition to the top-six in the summer.

“With the opportunities these nine clubs have, we shouldn't really have a chance of getting there.

“A top-10 place is a realistic result. But I also like to be unrealistic."

He added: “You can no longer say that we are just a good pressing team and that we always play fast forward.

"We have become much clearer, we are also taking more risks.

“How we now combine from behind, how we lure the opponent and then play through the lines, how we score our goals, that's impressive.”