Southampton sack Ivan Juric after record-breaking Premier League relegation | OneFootball

The Italian was keen to stay on but has been dismissed after 12 defeats in 14 games

Southampton have sacked manager Ivan Juric after the club's relegation from the Premier League was confirmed.

Juric was appointed in December on an 18-month contract, after predecessor Russell Martin oversaw a thumping 5-0 home loss to Spurs, and has lasted just 108 days in the job.

The former Roma head coach won just one of his 14 league games in charge, losing 12.

Juric said on Sunday that he was ready follow the team into the Championship and "take the long road to come back" to the top flight, but has been dismissed on Monday morning.

A club statement read: “Ivan came to Southampton at a tough time and was tasked with trying to improve a squad in a difficult situation.

“Unfortunately, we haven’t seen performances progress the way we had hoped, but we would like to thank Ivan and his staff for their honesty and hard work as they fought against the odds to try and keep us up.”

First-team coach Simon Rusk will take interim charge for the remainder of the season, with midfielder Adam Lallana acting as his assistant.

Southampton's sole aim for the remainder of the season is to surpass Derby County's record low points tally of 11, meaning they need two points from their final seven games.

The statement concluded: “Despite the challenges that relegation will bring, our goal is to restore a sense of pride for them in their team and club once again.”