New Saints Boss Mauricio Pellegrino Discusses His Playing Days in Deep Interview

New Southampton boss Mauricio Pellegrino has been speaking about his days as a player to help fans get to know him a little bit more.

The 45-year-old is little known to Saints fans at present, having not been on the managerial scene for very long, but managed to guide Deportivo Alaves to the Copa del Rey final against Barcelona last season.

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Before his one-year stint there, he coached in his homeland of Argentina for a few years after landing his first gig as Valencia boss in 2012.

Pellegrino is arguably better known for his time as a player though, and spoke to Saints' official website which has ran a lengthy but impressive feature piece on him.

On his playing days, he said: "It was maybe the hardest moment in my life, when I moved from my village to Buenos Aires. But, for me, it was also maybe my most important moment in my life, because I grew a lot and learned a lot about myself, to beat barriers, to be better every single day. 

"I discovered myself and how I reacted in front of different problems and I can say today that was a really nice moment for my life.

"After that, instead of being happy, I started to suffer a little bit in my profession as a player, because always we want more, more, more, more and this ambition I couldn't manage in a better way."

Those early hardships have seemingly helped mould the former defender into an intensely analytical individual, which is evident when you read the interview in full.

He also added: "When I came to Europe, I discovered other ways to teach and other ways to understand the training sessions, other philosophies and when I discovered that I asked a lot of things.

"I was more open-minded and I always admired a lot the manager, because during my childhood or when I was a teenager they changed my habits. Always I wanted to be like them, because always I thought if they had influence on me, I think I can be an influence for my players too."