New Southampton manager Mark Hughes got off to the perfect start in his first match in charge of the club, as they recorded a 2-0 victory against League One high-flyers Wigan Athletic in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup at the DW Stadium on Sunday to set up a Wembley semi-final against Chelsea.

The Welshman replaced Mauricio Pellegrino last week on a deal until the end of the season after a run of just one win in 17 Premier League matches left the south coast in the relegation zone and in serious danger of losing their top flight status.

The 54-year-old has been tasked with stopping Saints from dropping down into the Championship in their remaining eight league fixtures this term – starting against fellow strugglers West Ham United at the London Stadium on March 31 – and he if does that it will boost his chances of getting the job on a permanent basis.

Hughes will already be thinking about the players he could bring to St Mary's this summer if he does stay on – with Stoke City's Joe Allen a reported target – and he may feel that centre-back is a priority area given the departure of Virgil van Dijk to Liverpool during the January transfer window and with the team often looking shaky at the back.

Toulouse defender Christopher Jullien was reportedly a target for the south coast outfit in 2017, and continues to impress with his performances for the Ligue 1 outfit.

Here are three reasons Hughes must make the 24-year-old his first Southampton signing if he helps the club survive and subsequently extends his stay at St Mary's…

Southampton would have been under no illusions about the huge hole that van Dijk would leave when he joined Liverpool in January given the qualities he brought to the centre-back role.

The Dutchman was a leader and something of an all-rounder in his position given he didn't really seem to have too many weaknesses, which is exactly why he went for £75m.

Saints appear to have lacked that dominant player at the heart of the defence since the Netherlands international left – with Wesley Hoedt and Jack Stephens often partnering each other there – and it is an area that Mark Hughes would likely look to strengthen this summer, with Christopher Jullien the type of player that Saints should be targeting.

While Stephens is liked by the fans because he has been at the club for a number of years after joining them from Plymouth Argyle as a youngster, as well as performing admirably when he has appeared in the first team, there are still some doubts as to whether he is good enough to start for Southampton on a regular basis.

The 24-year-old, who is actually older than centre-back partner Hoedt, is great at bringing the ball out from the back, but he often struggles in the air and from a physical point of view against some strikers, while his decision-making needs some work.

Hughes should look to find a dominant upgrade to play alongside Hoedt next season if he stays on, with Jullien a good candidate for the role even though he is the same age as Stephens.

One of the main areas where Stephens and Hoedt have often struggled – and van Dijk certainly didn't – was winning aerial challenges and generally performing well against physical centre-forwards.

Jullien stands at 6ft 5in tall and continues to have one of the best records of winning aerial duels in his position across European football – according to WhoScored.com he has won 101 of the 138 he has faced in 23 Ligue 1 outings this season – while he has also made 37 interceptions and 138 clearances.

While he may not have van Dijk's quality and composure on the ball, it is going to be hard to find for Southampton to find anyone that does and he more than makes up for it with his other defensive strengths, and the fact that at 24 years of age he also has plenty of room for improvement.

Do you agree, Saints fans? Let us know below.