Southampton put faith in little-known Ruben Selles as manager after shock Chelsea victory

Ruben Selles during Southampton's victory over Southampton
Ruben Selles during Southampton's victory over Southampton (Image credit: Getty Images)

Southampton have put their faith in assistant manager Ruben Selles to stave off the threat of relegation this season after handing him the job of manager until the end of the season.

Selles only joined the Saints as no.2 to Ralph Hasenhuttl in July last year, taking over for one Carabao Cup game after the Austrian's sacking in November.

He was back in the dugout last weekend after Hasenhuttl's replacement Nathan Jones was also shown the door at St Mary's.

The 39-year-old Spaniard masterminded a shock 1-0 win over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in that game. While Southampton are still rooted to the bottom of the table, they are just three points from safety with 15 games remaining.

Next up is a trip to fellow relegation candidates Leeds, in what will be Javi Gracia's first game in charge. Leeds sit in 19th, just one point ahead of Southampton.

Selles never had a professional playing career, but has worked in backroom roles in football since 2009, and has been employed in Azerbaijan, Norway and Denmark. His only previous time as a manager was a brief stint as coach of Valencia U18s back in his hometown.

Conor Pope
Online Editor

Conor Pope is the former Online Editor of FourFourTwo, overseeing all digital content. He plays football regularly, and has a large, discerning and ever-growing collection of football shirts from around the world.

He supports Blackburn Rovers and holds a season ticket with south London non-league side Dulwich Hamlet. His main football passions include Tugay, the San Siro and only using a winter ball when it snows.

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