Will Still SACKED: Southampton axe manager, 33, after two wins in 13 games – after he quit role in France to be closer to Sky Sports presenter girlfriend

Southampton sacked manager Will Still following a poor start to the season.

The Saints only hired Still in May; This comes after the 33-year-old received rave reviews for his work with Reims and Lens in the French Ligue 1.

But the move did not work and Still’s side fell 21st in the Championship after suffering their third consecutive defeat 2-0 at home to Preston on Saturday. Although they were shown as one of the favorites of the group, they could only get 12 points from 13 matches.

In a statement released by the club on Sunday evening, Southampton said: ‘Southampton Football Club can confirm that we have parted ways with Men’s First Team Manager Will Still this evening.

‘Ruben Martinez, Clement Lemaitre and Carl Martin also left their positions at the club. ‘Under 21 Men’s Head Coach Tonda Eckert will assume temporary responsibility for the team.’

Saints manager Johannes Spors added: ‘Will is a great person who does everything to improve performances and results.

Saints sit 21st in the Championship despite being one of the promotion favorites

‘In the end, this process took longer than any of us would have wanted. We believe making a change now will give us the best chance of turning things around this season and climbing back up the league table.

‘I would like to thank Will, Ruben, Clement and Carl for their efforts and wish them every success for the future.’

The youngest manager in the EFL, he nevertheless won just two of his 13 league games in charge and, despite significant investment in the summer, failed to turn around Southampton’s fortunes following relegation last season.

He also becomes the third Saints boss to be sacked in the last 11 months, after both Russell Martin and Ivan Juric were given up last season.

Following Saturday’s defeat to Preston at St Mary’s, fans chanted Still would be ‘sacked in the morning’ and were loudly booed at the final whistle.

Still, Still vowed to keep fighting: ‘I won’t give up, I won’t stop, and I’ll keep fighting as long as I have the chance.

‘If I could find an instant solution I would have found it about a month or two ago, I don’t think there’s an instant solution to be honest with you and I think whoever it is is a big deal and I knew there was a big job coming here.

‘I said a few weeks ago that there are a lot of things that need to change that haven’t changed yet because we haven’t had the time to do it, but it looks like there’s still a lot of work to do.’

The Sky Sports presenter only joined Southampton in May after leaving his post in France to be closer to girlfriend Emma Saunders.

Still under increasing pressure in recent weeks after just two wins from 13 games

He was still going viral a few years ago when, at the age of 30, he became the youngest manager in Europe’s top five leagues as manager of Reims.

His coaching journey was partly inspired by his passion for the video game ‘Football Manager’, which encouraged him to change his playing career to management at the age of 17.

His record of 55 wins in 127 appearances from the bench made him one of the highest-rated young English managers before he was appointed by the Saints almost a year after joining Sunderland.

Meanwhile, Still resigned from his position at Lens in the summer to be closer to his girlfriend, Sky Sports presenter Emma Saunders, who has been going through a brutal health battle.

Saunders, who regularly hosts Premier League coverage for the broadcast giant, was being treated for thyroid cancer at the start of last season and was recovering from a brain infection called encephalitis in the summer.

At that time, Still admitted that he could not bear to be away from Saunders any longer and decided to quit his job in France.

‘I needed to be closer to home, and after all, Emma is home,’ Still said. ‘It’s a logical choice for me to be closer to my wife. For his sake.

‘I will not be the coach of RC Lens next season. It was Bollaert’s last season for many reasons. The main reason that pushed me to make this decision was the fact that I had to go home. Everyone knows very well what is happening in my life. For this reason.

‘I had a lot of fun, despite everything, I think we achieved great things. ‘I’ve been in France for four years, I’ve had intense moments for four years.’