Southampton boss Ruben Selles has explained holding back Carlos Alcaraz.

The 20 year old midfielder – who has already scored twice in the Premier League since a January move – has found himself as a substitute the last two times out.

"I think we manage the squad and we manage the opponent in terms of what we need for the games," Selles insisted.

“So Carlos has been a key player as a number nine, but also staying in one of the sides, especially against Tottenham. It can be that he's playing a different role or in the same role.

He added: “And sometimes we just need him to come onto the pitch after 50 or 60 minutes just to give us a different approach and to make things harder.

“So there is a specific resource there but not regarding his work or his quality regarding the game plan that we want to put in the game."