Ruben Selles confirms first Sheffield United arrivals following “fundamental for success” ruling.
Ruben Selles has confirmed the first Sheffield United signings since taking over as manager at Bramall Lane. The 42-year-old Spaniard succeeds Chris Wilder in South Yorkshire, having made a choice on his future nearly a month after the heartbreaking play-off final defeat to Sunderland at Wembley.
On Wednesday evening, a Blades statement revealed Wilder’s departure, with his assistant Alan Knill and coach Matt Prestridge initially following him out the door. The futures of United’s other coaches, including Jack Lester, Micky Collins, and goalkeeping expert Matt Duke, are yet to be confirmed.
But Selles is obviously eager to bring his own man to work with him at Bramall Lane, as two familiar figures from his past teams are also expected to join the Blades before the start of pre-season. James Oliver-Pearce, Selles’ assistant manager at Reading and Hull City, as well as former AFC Wimbledon coach Tobias Loveland, will return to work with Selles for the third time.
In his first interview since being announced as the new Blades manager, Selles confirmed: “Yeah, we are [bringing in some famous faces]. James and Toby have worked with me and my former teams in England, and they have been instrumental in my success.
Ruben Selles recognizes the first arrivals of his Sheffield United reign following the “fundamental” ruling. So, naturally, anytime I talk about myself, I also talk about them. We’re also seeking for a coach with some additional experience. So we’ll see some new faces and so on.
Although the identity of the more experienced coach has not yet been revealed, all of Selles’ staff will have done their research on the Blades by the time the players return for pre-season training later this summer.
Their hiatus was cut short by the prolonged 2024/25 season, which begins on the weekend of August 8. United’s McBurnie transfer attitude following Wilder’s Lane departure. The SUFC board explains Wilder’s departure and Selles’ appointment in a fan message.
Selles makes United guarantee after being announced as the new Blades manager. “The team has been really competitive, just missing the promotion last year in the last game, and there has been good work behind that,” Selles told reporters.
“So I believe we have a lot of positive traits in the team and squad. “Obviously, like with any season, there will be some players who are already leaving because their contracts are expiring, as well as some new players and exciting moments.
So I believe we are in a good spot as a club, and my job as manager is simply to take what we have right now and strive to make the place a better one.”
Selles piqued the interest of the United ownership in February when his Hull City side defeated the Blades 3-0 at Bramall Lane, a crucial result for the Tigers as they remained ahead on goal difference on the penultimate day of the season before parting ways with Selles.
“That really was a powerful game for us in that moment,” he told me. “We needed a game like that. Obviously, Sheffield United had not lost at home in the entire season by that point.
“It was a challenging night, but we accomplished a lot of things right that day, and we were able to play one of our most competitive games this season. So the memories from that day are very pleasant, and I intend to make many more memories with our fans in that stadium now.”
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