Portuguese boss humbly addresses his links to managing Southampton | OneFootball

Santa Clara boss Vasco Matos has addressed the previous links to the Southampton job, before Ivan Juric was ultimately hired.

Last month, Southampton had a quick managerial turnaround. They parted ways with Russell Martin after he struggled with the Saints' return to the Premier League.

At the time of Martin's sacking, there were naturally many potential replacements who popped up into the ether. It was a time where Southampton fans were perhaps researching names they'd not heard of before.

In the end, Ivan Juric was deemed by Southampton as the best manager for the job. So far into his tenure, the Croatian manager has not managed to pick up a win on the sideline but this is a difficult ask for the worst team in the Premier League.

Portuguese boss humbly addresses his links to managing Southampton

Vasco Matos, who is the Santa Clara manager but was linked with the Southampton job before Ivan Juric took it, has spoken out about the extent to which he was involved in the Southampton discussions. He rubbished those previous rumours, but did so humbly and respectfully.

In his own words, Matos said: "No, I didn’t receive any invitation [to manage Southampton]."

Matos then continued to speak about being happy in his current position. While he does want to accelerate in his career, he understands and embraces that is he is still making his way in the game.

Continuing, Matos said: “I don’t have a dream job. Of course, I want to reach other levels, and I want to continue developing my work, but I am a down-to-earth coach. I’m making my way. I don’t know what will happen in the future, but obviously I have a lot of ambition.”

When clubs are searching for a new manager, it is a quick turnaround and oftentimes, suggestions are mistaken for genuine targets. It is exacerbated by tabloids throwing out every rumour under the sun in the hopes of getting one right.

Currently, Santa Clara are fifth in the Liga Portugal, having played 17 matches. So, it is clear that Matos has the credentials to manage in the Premier League one day. Nevertheless, we wish him and his side nothing but the best between now and the end of the season.