Saints manager Mauricio Pochettino says he is not frustrated that the club have missed out on signing Inter Milan playmaker Philippe Coutinho.

Pochettino had the 20-year-old Brazilian on loan at Espanyol last season, and Coutinho was linked with a move to St Mary’s this month.

However, the Inter star is now on the verge of completing a switch to Liverpool.

New Saints boss Pochettino admitted there had been a chance of signing the player, but said it was always an outside shot.

“I am not frustrated about not being able to sign him,” he said. “I knew there was a small chance he would come here, but overall I have not had much time to consider new signings,” he said.

“I am very happy with the squad which is available to me.

“We all know who Coutinho is, and that he is a quality player. However, there are other factors when we want to sign a player.”