SAINTS boss Ralph Hasenhuttl is looking forward to returning to the dugout tomorrow, after his period of self-isolation was cut short.

Hasenhuttl was absent from St Mary's on Tuesday, instead coaching Saints against West Ham via a video link connected with the rest of his staff, as assistant Richard Kitzbichler led the team from the sidelines.

The Austrian boss was self-isolating at home after his wife tested positive for coronavirus, but after further tests it has since been assessed as a false positive, meaning Hasenhuttl is clear to return to work.

Asked how important it is for him to be present in person in the dugout, Hasenhuttl said: "At the moment definitely more now because we have no supporters and you can coach very easily from outside.

"I was also happy with Richard, how he did it. I heard him screaming and he is on one page and he is completely briefed before the game what we want to see.

"I was also in contact with him on the bench with what we need to do and what we need to do better, but it’s definitely different if you’re not on the sideline.

"But a good team doesn’t need a director all the time and we have a good team now.

"This is definitely a team that knows what they have to do. It is more important to use the time before the game to set them up perfectly."

Discussing the experience of coaching from home against the Hammers, Hasenhuttl said: "Horrible. It’s very difficult.

"The difficulty was that I didn’t have the live picture and the live voice. So this is horrible because you hear the live voice but you don’t have the live picture and that makes it difficult to coach and concentrate on the game."