After helping Southampton progress to the play-off round, skipper José Fonte says the club should relish every European night that lies in wait.

Saints got their Europa League campaign up and running with a 5-0 aggregate win against Vitesse, sealing a 2-0 win in the second leg on Thursday night to ensure them of a place in the play-off round.

Fonte, who got his first taste of European football in ten years during both legs, says everyone should remember how far the club has progressed.

“I told the lads before the game, ‘where would you prefer to be – playing in League 1 or the Championship, or playing European football every night? Let’s just make the most of it and get used to it’.

“We want to try and keep in European football for a long time. The result was the most important. We had a good lead from the first leg and it was a question of managing the game.

“We didn’t play our best, we could all see that. We were just trying to control the game maybe too much, saving our legs for Sunday because it’s obviously a very important game – the start of the Premier League.

“But we go the job done and we’re into the next round, so now we wait to see who we’re going to get next.”

And Fonte says he won’t be fazed by whoever Saints face in the next round of the competition.

“It doesn’t matter to us. The manager has enough experience to know how to approach these game and we are mature players," he added.

“We know it’s important not to concede and try and nick a goal away from home to give us the advantage. Whatever comes, it comes.”