Former Sheffield United manager Ruben Selles has been told that his talents may be better suited to the European game by Sky Sports pundit Lee Hendrie.
The 42-year-old was a shock appointment at Bramall Lane in the summer following the dismissal of Chris Wilder. The change of guard followed a disappointing end to the season for the Blades, where they missed out on a place in the Premier League with a 2-1 defeat in the Championship play-off final to Sunderland.
Despite that, Wilder’s exit was largely criticised. The ex-Middlesbrough boss had guided the club to an impressive 90 point tally, only to be usurped by Leeds United and Burnley, who both hit triple figures.
In short, Selles’ short tenure was a disaster. He lost all six of his games in charge in all competitions, culminating in a 5-0 defeat at Ipswich Town. Unbelievably, owners COH Sports opted to dismiss their new recruit in favour of their previous manager.
Selles Told To Explore European Options
Selles saw his reputation grow due to the excellent job he did at Reading. Amid of series of off-field antics, he was tasked with stabilising the club on the pitch. It’s fair to say he over achieved and he eventually earned a move to Hull City.
Tasked with keeping the Tigers in the Championship, he achieved just that by the skin of his teeth. Therefore, it came as somewhat of a surprise to see him given the boot by owner Acun Ilicali. His reputation remained intact though, hence his arrival at Sheffield United.
With the nightmare few weeks now behind him, pundit Lee Hendrie believes a move to the continent may be best suited to his attributes in order to avoid a drop back down to League One. Speaking to Football League World, the former Aston Villa midfielder said:
“With Ruben Selles, it’s quite hard to really figure out where and what he does next.
“I actually see him possibly going abroad. I think his style and ways would suit a Spanish or Italian side, that will be down to whether he feels like he can still do that in the EFL and, again, what jobs come around that might be suitable for him.
“It’s a big ask, with the way things went at Sheffield United, the possibility of getting a next job and it might be that he has to take a step down, which would be unfortunate.”
Writer’s View
Lee Hendrie does have a point but Selles has been in England for some time and may consider one last roll of the dice before exploring other options. As the season goes on, there may be a club at the lower end of the Championship that saw what he did with Hull last season and may be tempted to take a punt. He is also likely to be a major player for any vacant League One jobs which come up in the coming weeks and months, perhaps Rotherham United?…
