MANAGER Ralph Hasenhuttl said “at the moment, our psychologists are our wives at home” when asked if he had utilised a sports psychologist for his squad.

The Saints boss has seen his troops lose eight out of their past nine Premier League games at present, meaning they are teetering towards a relegation battle just seven points clear of the bottom three.

Saints head to rock-bottom Sheffield United in the division tomorrow (3pm), looking to record their first league success since early January.

Asked whether he had turned to a sports psychologist to speak with his players, Hasenhuttl said: “At the moment, our psychologists are our wives at home, I think.

“We are not allowed to see anybody else. In our bubble, we have fewer people in because our bubble is not so big, so it’s tough for us to use a psychologist at the moment.

“For a Zoom meeting maybe it’s possible, but I try to be the psychologist for the guys.

“When they need somebody else to talk to, my assistant coaches can speak to them, as can the physios and doctors. There are other people who can give them a cuddle if they need or something else.

“But, finally, we are not sick or something like that. We don’t win games at the moment. That is not nice but that is nothing you cannot turn around without the right game plan and the right effort and this is what we need to have.”