Southampton boss Ronald Koeman has paid tribute to Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino.

Pochettino will return to St Mary's this weekend - for the first time since he left for Spurs last summer.

"If a player from Barcelona goes to Madrid, the reception might be less cordial. But I think Mauricio will get a great welcome, because he has done great here," Koeman told the Associated Press.

"I think Mauricio has laid the foundation for the current success.

"We might bring different accents and do things even better, but it also has to do with the experience and the quality of the players."