MANAGER Russell Martin explained "now isn't the right time" for Charly Alcaraz to be starting regularly for "struggling" Saints. 

The Argentine, who joined in January, remained as an unused substitute in Southampton's 2-1 loss at Middlesbrough on Saturday.

The 20 year old did start in three of the first four games of the season but only played a combined 85 minutes across Saints' previous defeats -  all coming from the bench.

Speaking to BBC Radio Solent after his side suffered a fourth straight defeat, Martin detailed that Alcaraz needs to be "all in" before he can start featuring more regularly again. 

He said: "I see the players every day. When you are asking people to play a certain way - Charly is a young man and doesn't speak the language well, if at all.

"We are asking him to play in a team with a lot of structure and there are things he knows he needs to do better.

"I said to Gilly that I will get criticised for not bringing him on, but it's about who you trust at this moment in time.

"You're either all in with the team or you're not. At the minute, Charly needs to come over to that side really.

"It's been a difficult time for him. He's lost Willy (Caballero) and he's lost Lyanco, his two best mates in the group.

"He's a young man who is miles away from his home and he's had some difficult news about his dad.

"He's got all of that going on which people don't see and don't understand. 

"We will help him through it and at some point he will be on the pitch for us and he will be fantastic, but now is not the right time while tehe team is struggling.