Marco Silva has emerged as an early favourite to take charge of Southampton after they axed head coach Mauricio Pellegrino.

Pellegrino only took charge at St Mary’s in the summer, but The Saints have decided to axe him after being entrenched in the relegation battle.

They have won just one game in 17 matches and are just one point above the drop-zone and Pellegrino has paid for his poor form with his job.

#SaintsFC can today confirm it has parted company with First Team Manager Mauricio Pellegrino: https://t.co/OmTEYzGOxe

— Southampton FC (@SouthamptonFC) March 12, 2018

Former Hull City and Watford boss Marco Silva is now the odds-on favourite to take charge at St Mary’s.

Silva has been linked with Portguese giants Benfica for next season, but it remains to be seen if he could turn down the chance to return to the Premier League.

Former Southampton players Mark Hughes and Graham Potter are also been linked. Hughes is currently free after leaving Stoke earlier this year, whilst Potter is earning a big reputation with Swedish club Ostersunds.

And another man with Saints connections to be linked is their former boss Gordon Strachan, who like Hughes, is without a job after leaving Scotland.

But Silva is as short as 4/6 with BetVictor as the markets open on the new Saints boss. Strachan is 6/1 whilst Hughes is 12/1 and Potter 25/1.