Julien Lopetegui insists he wants to be Wolves boss for "a long time" as he relishes the "exciting challenge" of keeping them in the Premier League.

The former Spain boss, who won the Europa League during his time with Sevilla and who has also managed Rayo Vallecano, Porto and Real Madrid, is aiming to keep Wolves progressing.

Before Saturday's league trip to Southampton, he spoke to Spanish football writer Guillem Balague about a wide range of topics, including self-improvement and how Johan Cruyff influenced him.

You can watch the full interview on Football Focus on BBC One on Saturday from 12:00 BST.

Lopetegui took charge on 14 November, when the Premier League paused for the World Cup in Qatar. He was the club's first choice to take over after they dismissed Bruno Lage on 2 October but he initially opted to stay at home to be near his elderly father.

Lopetegui: "Why not now and why not Wolves? First of all, I would like to be here for a long time because it is a great place for any coach. For me, it [the Premier League] is the best competition in the world. I want to be here, because Wolves wanted me to come here; they worked a lot.

"We are here and I'm happy to be here. It's a big challenge for me and for the club too and for the players, because of course we knew what position we started in the table.

"We had a very hard task in front of us but it is a fantastic challenge so that's why we feel the energy and that this can be a good moment to come here, knowing that it is going to be a hard task, difficult, but in the same way it's exciting. What an exciting task that we try to enjoy - and of course to achieve our aims."

Lopetegui: "This is the life of all the coaches. We start at 8am and we finish 9pm. We have a dinner and then sleep before the next day. I enjoy my job, I enjoy my work. It's not hard for me because this is my life and it is a joy to be able to try to help the team, the players, the club, to work on different situations.

"For me it is exciting and that's why it's not difficult for me. Maybe it is more difficult for the family and I understand them. I am very lucky to have this kind of family who understands me.

"I enjoy to come here to work. I think that you always have one thing to do, to improve, always, always as a coach. I always say to the players it is impossible to get to perfection.

"But in a good way, it is a good aim for us. Always whether you win or lose, you have to improve and you have to be balanced because it is going to be a very hard and long race. It is very important that we are able and ready with a big mentality and energy to arrive in the last moment of the season."

Lopetegui was signed for Barcelona by Dutch legend Johan Cruyff in 1994 and, although he struggled to make an impression on the first team, the experience stuck with him.

Lopetegui: "I have heard that a lot of coaches have worked with Johan Cruyff and we are very lucky to have worked with him because he was the first coach that started making me think about football.

"Until this moment, I never asked myself why I am going to do it or not. He made me think about why I want to do it, why not? Then it was easy. For me, it was key. I think for a lot of coaches we have worked as a player with him."