Matt Le Tissier Questions Mauricio Pochettino's Move From Southampton to Tottenham Hotspur

Southampton legend Matt Le Tissier has questioned Mauricio Pochettino's lack of commitment after the Argentine manager left St Mary's in the summer to move to Tottenham Hotspur.

The new Spurs manager enjoyed successful 18 months with the Saints but although Southampton wanted him to stay, Pochettino decided to face a new challenge in north London.

When asked about Pochettino's exit during a Q&A session with fans in Metro, Le Tissier said: "There isn't a great deal of loyalty in football, true but given the fans are the backbone of the clubs, they are the loyal ones in all this. It is a shame it was not reciprocated.

Le Tissier believes the Saints supporters who will travel to London for the Premier League clash against Tottenham on Sunday 5 October will not welcome their former manager.

"I am not sure his reception will be that great. Yes, he did a decent job for the club for 18 months but the way he went left a sour tasted in the mouths of some supporters," Le Tissier added.

The former Saints hero lavished praise on new manager Ronald Koeman for his impressive start to life at Southampton. On Pochettino's job at Tottenham, he said: "He [Pochettino] has done OK.

"He has won two, drawn two, lost two in the Premier League and Spurs are just a couple of points outside the Champions League places at this early stage, so I would say it has been a steady start if unspectacular."

Le Tissier was always loyal to Southampton despite having offers bigger clubs and he claims he does not understand Pochettino's summer exit.

"I was always very content at Southampton and sometimes you can't put a price on being happy in your private life. It is more important than the amount of money you have in your bank account or the medals you have in your trophy cabinet," he said.

The Southampton legend backed the decision of the club's board to keep Morgan Schneiderlin even though the midfielder was said to have received lucrative offers from both Arsenal and Spurs.

"That was another big decision by the board," Le Tissier said. "The decided to make a stand after five players were sold for very good money. Enough was enough. Yes, there were a few days of disruption when Morgan was told he had to stay but, to be fair, he has knuckled down, shown a lot of professionalism and is once again playing very well indeed."