SAINTS will still be without nine first-team players due to injury when they head to Newcastle United this weekend, boss Ralph Hasenhuttl revealed.

Saints' injury-ravaged squad were humiliated 9-0 against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Tuesday evening, the joint heaviest defeat in Premier League history.

Nine players were absent due to various knocks. Jannik Vestergaard, Oriol Romeu, Theo Walcott and Kyle Walker-Peters have all been key members of Saints' squad this season, but they were all missing alongside Ibrahima Diallo, Will Smallbone, Mohammed Salisu, Nathan Tella and Michael Obafemi.

To give Hasenhuttl even further headaches, Saints are now set to also be without Jan Bednarek and Alex Jankewitz for Saturday's trip to St James's Park, after they were both sent off in the defeat at Old Trafford.

Asked how important it will be to make an instant response to the 9-0 loss, the second time Saints have suffered such a fate in as many seasons, Hasenhuttl said: "Without Jan Bednarek, without every other (injured) player, they are not available still on Saturday. We will try, let’s have a look.

"We have nine injured players at the moment. On the bench there were only academy guys. Two were playing from the beginning. I stand outside and sit here and answer the questions, it’s no problem. I answer the questions, I do it and it’s okay. I can handle this and I know what it’s about."

Quizzed on if why he did not make changes to his side sooner than the 70th minute, Hasenhuttl added: "Like I did in the second half, bringing on a third centre-back? Then we conceded four goals in 10 minutes with a third centre-back.

"If I could help them then I would like to do it. The only chance we had in the second half was to change to a five-four and defend our box and this was our best moment I think.

"But when you play 90 minutes at one goal and don’t have the chance to keep the ball for a few minutes then it looks like this. To be honest, I don’t have the energy to discuss any tactical parts of this game today because it doesn’t make sense. We have the 9-0 again, but this situation is a different one to last time and this is a different season so far."