Croatian Juric hired as new Southampton manager

Croatian Ivan Juric has been hired as the manager of Southampton, challenged with the task of preserving the struggling English club's place in the Premier League.

The 49-year-old, who's been a stalwart coach in Italy's Serie A, has signed an 18-month contract and replaces Russell Martin, who was fired last week with his team on the bottom of the table.

"We remain focused on fighting for survival ... and believe this appointment will provide us with the grit and determination needed to improve results on the pitch," Southampton said in a statement on Saturday.

The former Croatia midfielder Juric, who won five caps, began his managerial career at Mantova before moving on to Crotone, Genoa and Hellas Verona.

He led Torino to three mid-table finishes in Serie A, forging a reputation for being in charge of defensively solid teams, before leaving them at the end of last season.

Juric replaced Daniele De Rossi as Roma boss in mid-September but lasted less than two months in the Italian capital after claiming only four wins from 12 games.

Southampton have lost six of their last seven games and are nine points from safety.

"It's a really big challenge but I'm very optimistic because I saw a team that can do better," Juric said.

"I want an aggressive team and I think that fans of Southampton will like that."