SPANISH giant Real Madrid has announced the sack of Julen Lopetegui as manager after four and a half months in charge at the Bernabeu.
The Spaniard took over from Zinedine Zidane in June this year but the crushing 5-1 loss to Barcelona in El Clasico on Sunday was their fifth loss in six games.
Real Madrid, who are currently Champions League winners for the past three years, are ninth in La Liga after their worst start since 2001-02.
It is believed that the 52-year-old will be “provisionally replaced” by ex-player Santiago Solari, coach of B team Castilla.
Lopetegui took a training session on Monday but his fate was confirmed following a board meeting.
A club statement on Monday, October 29, said “there is a great disproportion between the quality of the staff of Real Madrid” and “the results obtained to date”.
Bear in mind that eight of the current Real Madrid squad are on the 30-man shortlist for the 2018 Ballon d’Or.
Solari has a favourable run of fixtures for the start of his tenure, beginning with a Spanish Cup match against Segunda Division B Group 4 side Melilla on Wednesday.
Details later ..