Soccer-Selles appointed Southampton manager until end of season

(Reuters) -Relegation-threatened Southampton have appointed interim coach Ruben Selles as their manager until the end of the season, the Premier League club said on Friday.

Spanish coach Selles, 39, was placed in temporary charge after Nathan Jones was sacked on Feb. 12 following a dismal run of nine defeats in 14 games that left Southampton sitting at the bottom of the standings with 18 points.

Selles led Southampton to a 1-0 victory over Chelsea last Saturday. His first task in his newly confirmed post will be this Saturday's trip to relegation rivals Leeds United.

Jones's departure came 95 days after he was appointed in November as Ralph Hasenhuettl's replacement, days before the World Cup break.

Selles, Southampton's third head coach this season, was also in interim charge when Hasenhuettl was sacked in November and he oversaw a League Cup penalty shootout win over Sheffield Wednesday.

Selles joined Southampton in July 2022 as an assistant to Hasenhuettl. He has previously managed Valencia's under-18 team and has coaching experience in Greece, Denmark and Azerbaijan.

Former Leeds manager Jesse Marsch was set to take over from Jones before negotiations broke down over the length of a contract, British media reported.

Five wins from 23 games have left Southampton three points from safety before Saturday's trip to Leeds, who sit one place higher on 19 points.

(Reporting by Hritika Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Sharon Singleton)