GORDON STRACHAN made up his mind to quit Saints two years ago.

The revelation was made by the Southampton manager yesterday when he announced he would be leaving St Mary's at the end of this season, and that he will be having a hip replacement operation this summer.

Strachan promised his family two years ago that he would take a break from football management after seeing out his contract at Saints, and he has been as good as his word.

The Scots-born manager, who took over in October 2001, said: "It is not a football thing, or about money, or about the club. I made the decision with my family a few weeks after I took the job that I would see out my contract and then walk away. People look for an ulterior motive but I am just being honest with the chairman and the people of Southampton.

"The chairman asked me to sign a new contract in the summer and he asked me again several times during the last five months.

"I told him in October I would not be signing. We never spoke about money, which is probably a good thing or else the green-eyed monster might have taken over and that would have been hypocritical of me to have stayed then.

"The chairman asked me several times to reconsider and he has been absolutely fantastic.

"We hoped to keep it quiet until the end of the season but it was leaking out so we have been forced to say something."

Strachan also branded reports that he was quitting for medical reasons as well as personal ones as "irresponsible" - even though that information was released through a club statement yesterday.

The popular manager, who has led Saints to an FA Cup final, an eighth-placed Premiership finish and into Europe for the first time in 19 years, also needs an operation to replace his left hip.

The move leaves Saints with five months to line up another manager to replace Strachan but no move for a new man will come until after the current boss has left the club.

However, Strachan has insisted he will not be taking over at another club immediately after leaving Saints.

He added: "I am not going anywhere else and I am not cracking up so people can stop looking too deeply into it. It is not stress either. This is probably the least stressful time of my seven years in management.

"The problem is that truth is sometimes a rare commodity in football so everyone looks for hidden meanings to things and I suppose this is unusual circumstances. It does not happen too often. In football you either resign or get sacked.

"But I am not suffering from stress. The only thing wrong with my health is my hip which needs replacing. "I made a promise two years ago and I am sticking by it - simple as that."

WHO SHOULD REPLACE STRACHAN? VOTE IN OUR POLL ON THE 'THIS IS SOUTHAMPTON' HOME PAGE. POLL CLOSES MIDDAY ON 15TH JANUARY.