Mauricio Pochettino said he remains calm in the face of increased speculation linking him with the manager’s job at Tottenham.

The Argentinian has been talked about as one of only a couple of serious contenders to replace Tim Sherwood if, as is widely reported, he is to be axed in the summer.

Though Pochettino contract situation at St Mary’s remains unchanged – he has one season left to run – the Saints boss is staying grounded.

He said: “In football I am very much accustomed to living with these rumours. I have been living with and hearing these rumours all my life, firstly as a player and then as a manager.

“I am just calm. I am not reacting to these rumours.

“I am fully focussed on the job ahead. My job ahead is these last five games of the season with Southampton to try and get as many points as we can.”

He added: “I have already said I don’t talk about rumours.

“Tottenham still have a manager, I still have one more year on my contract, I don’t talk about rumours and I’m focussed on this job.”