Saints legend Matt Le Tissier would like to see the club appoint a new manager who has a similar philosophy to Mauricio Pochettino.

The search for a replacement for the popular boss has begun, following his departure to Spurs, and Le Tissier hopes the next man will have a comparable outlook.

“I think the most important thing is a bit of continuity in the philosophy, and the way the team has been playing,” he said.

“That way there shouldn’t be too much upheaval for the players in adapting to a different style.

“It’s a good job to take.

“It’s a club that’s financially stable, has got a good squad of players in place, and which produces a lot of very talented young players.”

While the loss of Pochettino has caused widespread disappointment, Le Tissier said fans should not to be too low.

“We have had managers leave us before, and very good players leave us, and the club still finished eighth in the Premier League last season, so let’s not get too downhearted,” he said.

“It’s a chance for a new manager to come in, stamp his authority and, if we do lose one or two players, hopefully have a large amount of money to invest.”

Le Tissier, who spent his entire career at Saints, continued: “Obviously, it wasn’t a massive surprise in the end.

“It was a shame he didn’t feel any kind of loyalty to the club.”

He added: “We can look back now and see he was stalling and keeping his options open, but that’s his prerogative.

“He clearly had a game plan that he had set out, worked it to the best of his ability, and got a new job and a pay rise to boot, so good luck to him – as long as he doesn’t start whinging in a year’s time if he’s finished outside the top four and been sacked.”