Ronald Koeman insists Saints still want to qualify for the Europa League even though it will mean starting their season in July.

A final day defeat at Manchester City confirmed Saints finished a fantastic season in seventh place.

That means they have to wait on the result of Saturday’s FA Cup final to discover whether they will make it into Europe.

If Arsenal win the FA Cup then Saints will enter the Europa League in the third qualifying round, with the first game on July 30. If Aston Villa win the FA Cup then Saints will miss out.

Koeman said: “If we get that chance to play in Europe, I like that. It means a lot for the club, it means a lot for the players.

“We are preparing our pre-season and next week we know if we yes or not two games in the final week before starting the Premier League.”

Should Arsenal win the Cup then Saints will have to get through two, two-legged ties to make the group stages of the Europa League.

The third qualifying round would be played on July 30 and August 6, just days before the Premier League season kicks off.

The next qualification hurdle to overcome, the play-off round, would be played on August 20 and August 27.

The group stages get underway on September 17 and feature ten games between then and December 10.

Even though the extra matches will put a lot of pressure on the squad, Koeman believes qualifying for Europe is in a way needed as Saints’ reward for doing so well this season.

“A little bit yes because it means something because then you get the possibility to play in Europe,” he reflected.

“Even when you have to play the qualification, the last round, will make this season a special one.”

Saints signed off with a 2-0 defeat against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.

They put in a spirited display but ultimately the attacking quality of the Premier League runners-up proved too much.

“First half I think Man City was the better team, maybe the better chances, but the first big one was ours from Shane but after the 1-0, the second half I think we played well and had more domination for the game,” said Koeman.

“From the bench I believed we could get a result at that moment.

“You know you get some chances and you have to score.

“The total performance in the second half was better than the first but it wasn’t enough to get a better result than the 2-0.”