Southampton striker Sadio Mane believes the club will remain in the top four after their superb start to the season.
The Senegalese international has been a big part of the Saints form which has seen them sit second and just four points behind league leaders Chelsea.
With 11 games gone in the season so far, it will be interesting to see if Southampton can stay in the same position but Mane believes that his side have what it takes.
“I hope and I am confident that we can hold this pace and level of playing football,” Mane told FIFA.com.
“Obviously, in the Premier League there are always the three, four or five big teams which can be found at the top of the table, but I am glad that so far, there are some teams up there that could be called a little surprise, including us.
“However, we have to stay realistic. It will be hard to remain where we are today. We will give our best to defend this place, and I have no doubt we have the potential and will.”
Mane joined Southampton this summer from Red Bull Salzburg and he has talked about his move to England.
“I always dreamed of playing in the Premier League and I had a very good feeling about Southampton from the first contact,” he added.
“The entire philosophy, the smart way they progressively improved the team with dedicated transfers, the entire club environment and last but not least the highly professional and experienced coach, Ronald Koeman – that’s why I chose Southampton as my next big challenge.”
