FORMER Wales international Shaun MacDonald insists he is not surprised to see “unique” ex-teammate Nathan Jones make a success of management, and hopes he can prove the doubters wrong at Saints.

Jones is currently embarking on his first shot at Premier League management, having replaced Ralph Hasenhuttl at Saints last month.

MacDonald, 34, played alongside fellow Welshman Jones during the pair’s time together at Yeovil Town between 2009 and 2011.

By that stage, Jones’s playing career was winding down and he combined his playing duties with some coaching of the first team.

“I played with Nathan at Yeovil and he’s just as energetic as a manager as he was as a player,” MacDonald told the Daily Echo.

“He was always full of enthusiasm, always positive, always wanted to lead by example.

“I think he’s taken that into management. Even then as a player I think you could see that if he did go down the management route, which he has, he would always be successful in whatever he did really.

“I think he’s got a big job on his hands down at Southampton.

“It’s a great opportunity for him.

“Hopefully he can take that with both hands and prove to a lot of doubters that he can be a top manager at the top level.”

After coaching roles at Charlton Athletic and Brighton & Hove Albion, Jones got his first shot at management at Luton in 2016.

A highly successful three-year spell saw him guide the Hatters up from League Two, before he moved on to Championship Stoke City.

Things did not go to plan with the Potters and Jones was sacked with just six wins from his 38 games in charge.

Luton, now in the Championship themselves, came calling for Jones again in May 2020 and he successfully helped them avoid relegation, before reaching the play-offs last season.

Having been named Championship 2021-22 manager of the season, Saints swooped to poach Jones from Luton last month and he took charge of his first game in defeat at Liverpool a few days later.

Asked how he feels Jones will fare in the Premier League, former Bournemouth and Swansea City midfielder MacDonald said: “I think he’s a unique person in terms of he speaks a few languages, he will give 100 per cent in everything he does, he will treat people all the same, in terms of I think that if he needs to sell somebody, he will.

“And he’s still young and he is still learning.

“He’s made mistakes at clubs previously and hopefully he’s learnt a lot from those previous opportunities.

“I think that will make him a better manager at Southampton now where he is.”

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