NO MATTER what position Saints finish in after Sunday's game at Manchester City, Jose Fonte insists there will be a tinge of regret that it is not a higher one.

Ronald Koeman's side can cap an incredible campaign by climbing as far as fifth this weekend, in what is their final match of the season.

But even that, and the guaranteed passage to the Europa League group stages it would bring, would still leave Fonte with a sense of what might have been.

Asked if there is a slight feeling of regret, the captain said: "There is. I don’t think we overachieved at all.

"We did a great season, yes, considering everything we went through before, but I really believe we could have gone a little bit higher."

Fonte added: "I think we honestly could have even finished higher. We lost three or four games that we shouldn’t really have lost.

"I know this is the Premier League and it’s the hardest league in the world and anything can happen, but I really believe that at least four wins we could have got instead of four defeats that we had, and that would have put us you know where - in the Champions League."

The Portugal international knows, however, that reaching the Europa League would still be an incredible achievement for the club.

"We will certainly look at this game as a cup final, as our most important game of the season, because, if we finish fifth, everyone will look at us and say, 'Wow, they did a great job,' and that’s what we want," he said.

For Fonte, there is certainly no fear of the Europa League.

"It’s the next step," he said. "It’s Europe. If you put on a good run, it’s not bad if you win it, is it?!

"It's another step and another experience. It will be great for the fans, playing against other European teams in great atmospheres and go travel to different countries.

"For them it's another great experience and for us it’s more experience, so the next step will be, when we get into the Champions League, it’s not new."