Ronald Koeman is hoping he will not have to intervene again to ensure James Ward-Prowse takes a penalty.

After Shane Long was felled with the game deadlocked against Hull at St Mary’s, Sadio Mane grabbed the ball and started to walk towards the penalty spot.

Dusan Tadic is the club’s regular penalty taker but was on the bench, meaning the next in line was Ward-Prowse.

Koeman was baffled to see that the youngster was prepared to let Mane take it and intervened from the touchline, instructing captain Jose Fonte to order Mane hand the ball over.

Ward-Prowse stepped up and dispatched the spot kick for his first ever Premier League goal.

Koeman himself was a notoriously prolific penalty taker and will speak again to both Mane and Ward-Prowse about the situation.

He said: “I think it’s one of his (Ward-Prowse’s) qualities, he’s a good player for the set-pieces.

“Normally he makes the penalties and you have to take that responsibility because we know and he gets that confidence of the coach to take that penalty.

“For that I was surprised why he accept that Sadio took the ball because he is the number one and Tadic was one of the two penalty takers and Schneiderlin is one of the two or three penalty takers.

“You have to take that ball and that didn’t happen in my time because I was the penalty taker and nobody else.”

After more than three years without a goal for Saints it was perhaps a lack of confidence on Ward-Prowse’s behalf. Keoman accepted that may be the case but insists he must stand up in future.

“Maybe. Maybe, but even a young player has to show his confidence and his responsibility and it’s a good lesson for Prowsey today.”

He added: “I was surprised because everybody knows if Prowsey is on the pitch and normally Dusan and they are the first and the second choice to take the penalty.

“I had to shout to Jose to change that because it looks that Sadio take the penalty and Prowsey accepts that and I don’t understand that, because he knows the first choice.

“It was a difficult situation, a difficult situation, but I had to do it.”

It was at least promising to get Ward-Prowse on the scoresheet again.

“Very pleased, because it’s a young player who is always working hard to get in the team and get the chance to play,” admitted Koeman.

“He had some good chances and good shots in the first part of the season and it’s always good to score the goal and be important. It makes 1-0 and normally to take penalties is not so difficult but at 0-0 it is very difficult. He took that responsibility and it’s good.”

Koeman will now have to manage the situation with Mane, who didn’t look happy at what transpired.

“That’s the problem about Mane,” insisted Koeman. “The rules in the team are more important and nothing else.

“Already I had one word to him but we will talk in the team about that because maybe I have to mention a bit more clear to the players.”