Southampton fire academy coaches Jason Dodd and Paul Williams for not spending enough time with their youth players

The pair were told on Monday that they would have to leave the club

Paul Williams (left) and Jason Dodd, here during their playing days with Southampton, have been sacked as academy coaches (GETTY IMAGES)

Southampton have fired two of their academy coaches, Jason Dodd and Paul Williams, because the pair did ‘not spend enough time with the players’.

The Daily Mail is reporting how Dodd and Williams have been relieved of their roles within the club’s highly-regarded academy system.

Saint’s academy has brought through many quality young players recently, under Dodd and Williams’s guidance, none more so than recent England World Cup squad member, Luke Shaw.

Other players credited to have been brought through the youth system, regarded as one of the finest in the country, are Premier League starters Calum Chambers, James Ward-Prowse, Harry Reed and Sam Gallagher.

The pair were told off their dismissals by interim academy director Matt Hale on Monday and are said to be stunned by the decisions.

Dodd, who played 398 times for the club, joined as a youth coach in 2009 with Williams, an FA Cup finalist with the Saints, joining the coaching staff two years later.

It is understood that the reason for their sacking is because of unhealthy relationships with other coaches and for not spending sufficient time with the Under-16 squad.

Staff and players at St Marys are reported to be shocked and stunned by the news but the club were unavailable to comment.

With several high profile players, including as Shaw, reportedly set to leave the club this summer, Southampton are in for a turbulent time over the next few months and the timing of these sackings is sure to add to their problems.