Saints manager Ronald Koeman hailed Dusan Tadic’s stunning display after the playmaker led the record-breaking 8-0 demolition of Sunderland.

Tadic set up four goals, scored one and had a significant hand in two others, as he continued his superb start to the season with his most astonishing performance yet.

“He’s a fantastic player,” said Koeman.

“He is always a player who gives a lot of assists to goals, and that was great that he scored.

“But he’s a great player, great movements and I enjoy watching Dusan very much.”

Koeman rated Tadic’s assist for Saints’ third goal, when he produced a beautiful, deftly-chipped cross that picked out the run of an unmarked Jack Cork, as the finest piece of work in the game.

“I think the best moment was the goal of Jack Cork, how he gave that centre with so much feeling,” said Koeman.

“It was a great assist and we need those players.

“He was important in the second half, because he’s a handsome player, good technically, good feel.”

Tadic was the first signing of the Koeman era at Saints, joining from Dutch side FC Twente in a deal worth around £11m.

Koeman knew it would be money well spent, having seen the problems the 25-year-old could cause up close, when he was manager of Feyenoord.

“Yes, sometimes (he did this against me),” said Koeman.

“He won one time and he was the decisive player in that game.

“On that time, we lost one player in the game, it was 11 against ten and then he is moving, and moving to spaces to play, and to give the assists, and that’s difficult, and he showed that here.”

As well as his four assists – matching a Premier League record – Tadic also scored his first goal in England’s top-flight, and Koeman wants to see more of that from him.

“It’s always important, because we speak about that,” he said.

“To give assists is an important quality, but players like Tadic has to score between seven, eight, nine goals every season.

“He knows now that he has to work hard for that, but he played on a fantastic level today.”

Tadic’s performance came just a few days after he played for Serbia in the now infamous Euro 2016 qualifying clash with Albania, which was abandoned in the first half when a brawl broke out after a drone carrying an Albanian flag was flown into the stadium.

Koeman said he did not have to do anything to get Tadic in the right frame of mind for Saturday’s game, despite having witnessed those ugly scenes.

“No, we had a few words about that, nothing more, because we have to look forward and (Saturday) was important,” said Koeman.

“Ok, disappointed in what you saw on that moment, but it’s always difficult, it’s difficult for them, for the players, it’s difficult for the federation, but I heard it was a political question and that’s bad for the football, and bad for the players, because maybe they will punish Serbia for that and then maybe on that reason he will miss the Europeans.

“But I think after this game he will be more happy than last Wednesday.”