Southampton appoint Ruben Selles as manager until end of season

Premier League strugglers Southampton on Friday named Ruben Selles as their manager until the end of the season.

The appointment of the 39-year-old Spaniard follows the sacking earlier this month of Nathan Jones, who was in charge for just three months.

Southampton are bottom of the English top flight, with five wins in their 23 league games so far this season.

The club issued a brief statement saying: “Southampton Football Club can today confirm that Ruben Selles has been appointed as men’s first team manager until the end of the 2022/23 season.”

Former Luton boss Jones endured a torrid time after taking over at St Mary’s in November following the dismissal of Ralph Hasenhuettl.

Selles was a first-team coach at the club and took charge as interim manager as Southampton beat Chelsea last weekend, a result that left the club three points from safety. He is now preparing the team to face second-bottom Leeds at Elland Road on Saturday.

Selles’s appointment comes after Southampton failed to agree a deal with former Leeds boss Jesse Marsch, who was sacked from his job earlier this month.

Last week’s 1-0 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge gave Saints their first league win since a 2-1 triumph against Everton on January 14.

Selles, who has held various coaching roles including in Greece, Azerbaijan and Denmark, had previously announced his desire to become the club’s next permanent manager, saying he has been “feeling ready for the last four years”.

“I have a lot of personal experience, coaching hours, so I think it’s a natural thing,” he said last week.

“I want to be the manager. I think I’m as capable of doing that as any other, but it’s not my decision. I have the team now and we are really working hard to do our best.”