Championship club Watford sack manager Cleverley

LONDON: Championship club Watford on Tuesday sacked manager Tom Cleverley following a disappointing 14th-place league finish in the English second tier.

The former Premier League club took just one point from their last five games to finish 11 points outside the play-off places. The former Manchester United, Watford and England midfielder was appointed interim boss at Vicarage Road in March last year after Valerien Ismael´s exit and was named as the permanent head coach the following month.

“We thank Tom for his service, not just in his role as head coach, but for everything he has given Watford as a player and member of staff,” sporting director Gian Luca Nani said. “But the time has come for a change and to build on what we believe is a young and talented squad that will have benefited from the experience of the Championship this season.”