SAINTS manager Ruben Selles hopes Tino Livramento can play a role in the final “five or six” games of the season and labelled the youngster as “perfect” for the club.

Livramento, 20, has not played a professional match since April last year when he suffered an ACL injury at Brighton & Hove Albion.

The defender returned to the pitch for the B team earlier this month, playing 45 minutes of a Premier League 2 win before telling the Daily Echo of his hopes to return this season.

Livramento remains in training with the first team while there are only six matches of the Premier League campaign left to play – with survival hanging in the balance.

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Selles – who watched Livramento’s return in the under-21s fixture at Staplewood Campus under two weeks ago – admitted it is vital the full-back is not rushed back.

Daily Echo: Southampton manager Ruben Selles on the touchline during the Premier League match at the Emirates

“He is an important part of the club, he was here before I arrived and unfortunately I did not have the chance to coach him because he was not available,” Selles told the Daily Echo.

“But he is important and he will be important, I think he has some of the personal values and football abilities that are perfect for Southampton Football Club.

“I am looking forward for him to be back and hopefully during this season he can play in the last five or six games,” he added.

Selles is likely to give a further update on Livramento this week, with a visit from relegation rivals AFC Bournemouth to St Mary’s on Thursday night.

Even if the former Chelsea youngster does make the matchday squad, he is unlikely to displace Kyle Walker-Peters, Ainsley Maitland-Niles or Romain Perraud instantly from the first XI.

Livramento did start the first 18 games of last season in a row – despite having never played a Premier League game prior to knocking Walker-Peters out of Ralph Hasenhuttl’s starting team.

Selles gave the Daily Echo his verdict of Livramento’s recent under-21 comeback, which was the first game the England youth international had played since Selles has been working at the club.  

“I enjoyed that game, I think the whole team did a good job and especially in the second half. Tino played the first half and it was a difficult game in the very beginning, very physical,” he said.

“There was a couple of challenges he needed to go through and he responded well, extremely well I must say. He’s getting better and better.

“However, we should not forget it is one year out of football and every step is very important for us. When he is ready to play he will step in, but we are not there yet. Hopefully, he will be.”