Ruben Selles

#PLStories- Southampton FC manager Ruben Selles explains recent absence of Mislav Orsic #SAINTSFC

Orsic, who signed from Dinamo Zagreb in January, is yet to start for Saints in the Premier League and hasn’t even appeared on the bench in any of his side’s last six league games. The Croatian has three starts in the FA Cup and League Cup - most recently in defeat to Grimsby Town - but in each of those games he has been removed around the hour-mark with little lasting impact. And speaking ahead of Wednesday night’s clash with Brentford, Selles explained the 30-year-old’s absence while highlighting the work he’s put in behind the scenes. READ MORE: Saints team news as Arsenal loanee faces late fitness test ahead of Brentford clash “He's working hard. He's very professional,” Selles said. “At the end of the day, as I said in the beginning, every time we will sit here we will talk about a player that is not in the squad, because it's very big. And sometimes it's about my decision. And with Mislav, it's my decision to bring some other players in front of him.  “We’ve had a conversation. I communicated with him. I respect all of them (players not in the squad), including Mislav. And they try to be clear with my point of view every time. So there is no more or no less than the others. And then in the end of the day, I need to decide and that's what they do.” Meanwhile, another player who has raised eyebrows with his lack of action is youngster Edozie. After a slow start to his Saints career, the former Manchester City attacker was one of few members of the squad to excel under the stewardship of Nathan Jones. With the former Luton boss at the helm, Edozie appeared in eight straight league games while starting five of those. But since Selles took charge for Saints trip to Stamford Bridge, Edozie is yet to make the matchday squad. “I can imagine that it is difficult for him,” Selles said of the 20-year-old’s recent spell out of the first team fold.  “I have had a couple of conversations with him and I understand that it is difficult. When we make a squad we need in his positions a specific behavior and that's where we are trying to find him.  “So when we think that he's ready to play in the conditions and in the situations that we think he can do it and he can do it really good for us, then he will step inside. But again it's like with Mislav [Orsic] or with other players left out of the squad.  “I have 30 players and I need to make decisions and I need to make decisions concerning what is best for the team, not what is best for one individual.”
Nathan Jones

#PLStories- Southampton manager Nathan Jones hints new signings Mislav Orsic and Charly Alcaraz are ready to start matches #SAINTSFC

SAINTS manager Nathan Jones confirmed he believes new signings Mislav Orsic and Charly Alcaraz are now ready to “handle starting berths in the team”.  Both forward Orsic, who was Jones’s first signing of the window and joined from Croatian side Dinamo Zagreb, and Racing Club midfielder Alcaraz have made their club debuts as substitutes. Orsic, 30, was introduced late during the 2-0 victory over Manchester City in the EFL Cup quarter-final while Alcaraz played 30 minutes in the 2-1 win at Everton last Saturday. They have now had a full week without the interruption of a fixture to work with the group, which Jones says he has taken full advantage of, and the boss now believes they are up to speed. Asked if he is beginning to see the duo take on what Saints want them to do, Jones told the Daily Echo: “Oh yeah, but they were last week. “We bring people into the club now who fit specifically what we want to do so they already do that at their previous club, it’s just adapting it to the Southampton way of doing things. “They’re both fit, they both want to do well but it’s about not putting them in too early. We couldn’t put Orsic straight in because of the rest he’d had after the World Cup,” Jones explained. The Croatian international competed with his country up to the very end of the World Cup, scoring the winner in the third-place playoff versus Morocco just one day before the final. “Charly was a bit of a different situation because he was mid-season and had been used to playing games,” Jones added. “But they’re both now up to speed and can handle starting berths in the team.” Orsic and Alcaraz could make full debuts for Saints when they welcome Aston Villa to St Mary’s in the Premier League on Saturday, January 21 (3PM). A message from the Editor Thank you for reading this article - we appreciate your support in reading the Daily Echo. Subscribing to the Echo means you have unrestricted access to the latest news, features and Saints coverage - all with an advertising-light website. You will also have full access to Saintsplus, your new home for Southampton FC tactical analysis, features and much, much more.