Update emerges on Will Still to Oxford United links | OneFootball

Former Southampton manager Will Still has been ruled out of the running to take over at Oxford United, despite rumours linking him with the job.

Former Southampton manager Will Still will not be taking over at Oxford United, despite speculation linking him with the vacancy at the Kassam Stadium.

Oxford have been on the hunt for a new manager since parting company with Gary Rowett last month after a run of one win in 10 games left the club sitting in the relegation zone.

Craig Short has been in interim charge since Rowett's exit, but after a shock 2-1 victory over Southampton in his first game on Boxing Day, he has overseen back-to-back defeats to Swansea City and Ipswich Town, and the U's are currently 23rd in the table, three points from safety.

As the search for Rowett's replacement enters a third week, it seemed as though the Yellows were closing in on an appointment when Still was installed as the odds-on favourite by some bookmakers.

Still has been out of work since being sacked by Southampton in November after winning just four of his 16 games in charge at St Mary's, and while it briefly appeared he may be set to make a swift return to management with Oxford, that will not be the case.

According to George Elek from the Not The Top 20 podcast, there is no truth in the rumours linking Still with the U's, despite the sudden surge in the betting.

Former Southampton manager Will Still ruled out of running for Oxford United vacancy

Still may have underachieved significantly during his time at Southampton, with the club sitting just outside the relegation zone at the time of his departure, despite being billed as promotion favourites at the start of the season, but it does not seem to have done too much damage to his reputation.

Just weeks after being sacked by the Saints, Still reportedly held talks with Norwich City following the dismissal of Liam Manning before being overlooked in favour of Philippe Clement, while he was also linked with French top flight side Nantes last month.

Oxford are the latest club to have been mooted as a possible next destination for Still, but he will not be taking over at the Kassam Stadium, and with the 33-year-old no longer in the frame, it looks as though the race to become the club's next manager is still wide open.

After ex-Chelsea defender John Terry ruled himself out of the running last month, Michael Beale, John O'Shea, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, Matt Bloomfield and Steve Bruce were all said to be under consideration, while it was reported last week that the club were set to hold talks with former Swansea City boss Alan Sheehan.

However, in the latest update on the managerial search, Oxford confirmed on Wednesday afternoon that Short will remain in charge for Friday's FA Cup tie against MK Dons, which would suggest that an appointment is not imminent.

Will Still must be cautious with management return after Southampton disaster

Despite Still's disappointing spell at Southampton, the fact he has been linked with a number of jobs since his exit from St Mary's shows that his stock remains relatively high following his success in France with Reims and Lens, but he must choose his next role carefully.

While Oxford are only three points from safety, it will be a tough task to keep them in the Championship this season, and taking over at the Kassam Stadium would certainly have been a big gamble for Still at this stage of his career.

With Still out of contention, the U's must now shift their focus elsewhere in their managerial search, but it is fair to say that many of the names linked so far, including Beale, O'Shea, Hasselbaink, Bloomfield, Bruce and Sheehan, may not particularly excite the fanbase.