Southampton sacked manager Mauricio Pellegrino on Monday night following a run of just one win in 17 Premier League matches that has left them in real danger of suffering relegation to the Championship.

Saints faced what looked to be must-win clashes against fellow strugglers Stoke City at St Mary's and then Newcastle United at St James' Park on Saturday in their previous two top flight games, but they only took a point from a possible six.

The latest loss which saw the Argentine get the boot was the 3-0 loss against Rafa Benitez's men, where some of the players looked to have given up, which was the final straw for the supporters and the club.

The comprehensive defeat in which they once again offered little from an attacking point of view has left them one point above the danger zone with eight matches of the campaign still to go – although three of those are against Arsenal, Chelsea and runaway leaders Manchester City.

While the majority of the south coast outfit's squad may not be too upset to see the 46-year-old go judging by their performances at St James' Park, there are some players that have found themselves out of favour this season that will be pleased about his exit and a chance to impress the new manager.

Here are three Southampton stars that will be particularly delighted by Pellegrino's sacking…

McQueen has spent the whole season in and around the first team and fully fit, yet he has only played 126 minutes of first-team football across five Premier League appearances this term.

That will have been particularly frustrating for the 23-year-old given he made 23 appearances in all competitions for them during the previous campaign, as he looks to push on at St Mary's.

The most confusing thing for McQueen under Pellegrino was the fact that he played really well as the south coast outfit drew 0-0 against Manchester United at Old Trafford on December 30, but he hasn't featured in a single minute of top flight football since then.

While he has Ryan Bertrand ahead of him in the pecking order at left-back, McQueen can also play further forward and would have been frustrated to not be given an opportunity on the left wing when the likes of Sofiane Boufal, Dusan Tadic and Nathan Redmond have continually failed to produce the goods there.

The 2016 summer signing has struggled to make an impression ever since joining the club – he has four goals and a further three assists in 57 appearances in all competitions for the south coast – but he will have been more frustrated with how things have gone this season than last term.

The Morocco international had no pre-season when he first signed for Southampton and was always playing catch up, but the same can't be said for this term and he was showing some glimpses of the quality he has during pre-season.

However, he was often in and out of the team under Pellegrino – often leaving Saints supporters confused as to why – and it stopped him getting any rhythm on the pitch.

Considering he has often seen the likes of Nathan Redmond and Dusan Tadic start ahead of him and do no more than he has previously, he will be hoping to start more consistently under the new manager.

The Italy international looked as though he would be Southampton's new goalscoring star when he netted six goals in his first four appearances for the club in early 2017, but he only has four in 36 outings since then.

Following a difficult start to the campaign the 26-year-old quickly found himself behind the likes of Charlie Austin and Shane Long in the pecking order, before the former picked up an injury that is still keeping him on the sidelines.

The club-record arrival of Guido Carrillo during the January transfer window only further limited his opportunities, and he has only made one Premier League start since December 16, and wasn't brought into the XI after scoring the equaliser against Burnley last month much to the bemusement of the fans.

Gabbiadini will be hoping for better luck under the new boss in order to try and rediscover his touch and confidence in front of goal.

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