IF ANY of the Saints squad has over-indulged over the summer, Paul Sturrock has promised to use his tried and tested methods to find them out.

With most of the Saints squad reporting back for duty at Staplewood yesterday, the annual 'get match fit' exercise regime kicked into place.

After some stretches and ball work, the players did some circuit work in the morning followed by hard running in the afternoon.

That hard work, combined with some ball work and tactical tinkering, will continue right through the squad's trip to Austria next week, after which the build-up to playing friendlies and then the season will really begin.

Most players are sensible enough to look after their bodies in the summer and Sturrock said: "These players have all been doing circuits through the close season so they're all reasonably fit as it is.

"But over the next few days I find out which ones are really fit and which ones are not.

"I know what to do - I have set times for all the runs so I'll know which ones have been looking after themselves and which ones haven't and that's what pre-season is - it's finding out which ones are fit, which ones are not and then work on the ones that are not."

The only first-team regular not at training yesterday due to injury was defender Michael Svensson, who is recovering from the knee injury that ruled him out of Sweden's Euro 2004 campaign.

Glenn Hoddle's agent has confirmed the former Saints boss's interest in succeeding Jacques Santini as boss of the French national team.

If successful, Hoddle would become just the second foreigner to lead 'Les Bleus', but he is believed to be an outsider for the job, with Jean Tigana and Laurent Blanc favourites.

Christchurch-based agent Dennis Roach told the French press: "I can assure you that he is definitely interested in the job."

Hoddle, 46, has been out of football management since being axed by Tottenham in September 2003 - though he almost became Saints boss again earlier this year.

Romanian Stefan Kovacs has to date been the only non-French coach to lead the national team, having guided the team from 1973 to 1975.