The 47-year-old spent more than two decades at Southampton, cumulatively.
Former Southampton defender Jason Dodd has questioned the timing of Saints’ decision to change manager.
Southampton sacked Mauricio Pellegrino on Monday after a run of one win in 17 Premier League matches.
Dodd’s former Saints teammate Mark Hughes has since been sworn in as the Argentine’s replacement – two months after his departure from fellow strugglers Stoke City.
And speaking to the Sun newspaper on Thursday, Dodd said the change could have happened sooner.
“It’s strange they’ve made the decision now,” he said. “It’s a massive gamble. They stuck with Pellegrino too long.
“We’ve now got two winnable games, against Wigan in the FA Cup and West Ham.
“They might think he can come in and get a really good start. But then we’ve got Arsenal and Chelsea.
“He’s got a couple of days before Wigan but then it’s the international break. How many players is he going to have to work with?”
Dodd does not appear to have no qualms with the Welshman’s appointment itself, however.
“I thought he did well at Stoke, he took them as far as he could,” the 47-year-old added.
“Obviously they’ve struggled a bit this year, but when he took over from Tony [Pulis] he had to change the style of play and he certainly did that.”
Hughes led Stoke to three consecutive ninth-placed finishes – their highest ever in the Premier League – before things turned sour this season.
The 54-year-old has also managed Manchester City, Fulham, Queens Park Rangers and Blackburn Rovers, and steered the latter pair away from relegation.
Dodd spent 16 years as a Southampton player – including two alongside Hughes – and returned to St Mary’s for two separate coaching and academy roles.
Will Hughes keep the Saints up?
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