London, Dec 3 (IANS) Mark Hughes has been sacked as the manager of Southampton FC, the club announced on Monday.

The Saints have won just once this season and are 18th in the English Premier League with nine points from 14 games, reports Efe news.

"We would like to express our thanks to Mark and his staff for all of their efforts during their time at St Mary's", a statement published on Southampton's Twitter account said.

"The search for a new manager to take the club forward is already underway", it added.

Hughes, who was sacked from Stoke City in January, took over at St Mary's in March with the team one point above the relegation zone.

After steering the team to safety last season, the Welsh manager has overseen a difficult start to the current campaign, with Southampton winning just once in 14 games.

During Hughes' spell in charge, the Saints won just once in 22 league games, although he did lead them to the last four of the FA Cup, where they lost to eventual winners Chelsea.

--IANS gau/bg