Ex-Saints boss Hasenhuttl back in work with Wolfsburg

Former Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl is back on the touchline after being announced as Wolfsburg's new manager.

The 56-year-old Austrian has been out of work since leaving the Saints in November 2022 following a largely successful four-year stint on the South Coast.

He replaces the axed Niko Kovac, who was relieved of his duties at the Volkswagen Arena following yesterday's 3-1 defeat to Augsburg.

That loss extended Die Wolfe's winless run in the Bundesliga to 11 matches and prompted the club's board to take drastic action.

A club statement read: "In our internal review of the defeat against Augsburg and the overall situation, we came to the decision to end our collaboration.

"We regret this development but regard it as necessary to give the team a new impulse, in order to stabilise the situation.

"We’d like to express our thanks to Niko Kovac, his brother Robert as well as [assistant] Aaron Briggs and wish them all the best in their personal and professional lives."

Having previously managed in Germany's top tier with both Ingolstadt and RB Leipzig, the move marks a return to familiar territory for Hasenhuttl.

His work with the latter helped parachute him onto the global stage, guiding Leipzig to a second-place finish in their maiden Bundesliga campaign.

Having agreed what is described as a "long-term" contract, the Austrian will be officially unveiled in a press conference on Monday before overseeing his first training session one day later.

An upturn in results is needed quickly, with Wolfsburg now just five points clear of Mainz in the relegation play-off spot.