Chris Hughton says he was not surprised to see Mark Hughes rescue Southampton from Premier League relegation last season.

Hughes was regarded by some as an uninspiring choice when he replaced the sacked Mauricio Pellegrino at St Mary's in March.

His appointment came just over two months after he was dismissed by Stoke with the club sliding towards the Championship.

The Welshman subsequently justified his selection by leading struggling Saints to safety on the final day of the campaign.

Brighton manager Hughton, whose team visit Southampton on Monday, has been impressed with Hughes' work in Hampshire.

"All managers will have ups and downs, all of them, because it is impossible not to," said Hughton.

"But I think in the game Mark is regarded as a very good manager. Mark's one that gets on with the job with little fuss.

"(It was) not a surprise to me that when he got the job last season that he did the job that they asked him to do.

"And at this moment, taking that club into the season, the team are playing well.

"They are playing a good brand of football, of what people want to see and I think they will do well this season."

Hughton has enhanced his own managerial reputation during the past few years by leading the Seagulls to the Premier League for the first time in their history and then ensuring they stayed there in relatively comfortable fashion.

There appears to be mutual respect between the two coaches.

Hughes described Hughton as an "outstanding" and "underrated" manager at his pre-match press conference on Thursday and said he does not receive the recognition he deserves.

Hughton, however, insists he is content to remain under the radar.

"It's always very nice when people speak well about you but it's never anything that I think about or that grates me," said Hughton.

"In our game you have to work as hard as you can, do as well as you can, but you always know there can be bad times around the corner.

"That's what keeps you on your toes as a manager, very much so."