Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino has revealed that he was interested in being reunited with midfielder Phillipe Coutinho before he moved to Liverpool.

Pochettino worked with Coutinho at Espanyol last season before he was sacked at the Spanish club late last year, and the Argentinian boss has admitted that he would have liked to have signed him for Southampton.

The manager told tuttomercatoweb.com: "I often spoke with him in the last weeks of January. I had him last year at Espanyol, I know him well, but eventually he went to Liverpool."

Pochettino has picked up five points from his opening four matches in charge at St Mary's Stadium.