London (AP) – According to media reports, Watford FC found a successor just one day after separating from coach Claudio Ranieri. Accordingly, the former English national soccer coach Roy Hodgson returns after half a year from retirement.
The 74-year-old is expected to save the Hornets, who have just 14 points from 20 games and sit penultimate in the Premier League table, from relegation. Hodgson will become the third Watford coach this season after Ranieri and his predecessor Xisco Munoz. The veteran coach retired after four seasons at Crystal Palace last summer but has not ruled out the possibility of a comeback. Hodgson had previously coached Liverpool FC, Fulham FC, Inter Milan and the national teams of Switzerland and Finland.
Watford FC had separated from Ranieri on Friday after just three and a half months. The Italian, who once guided Leicester City to the championship, has just seven points from 13 games. Ranieri is a man “of great integrity and honor who will always be respected at Vicarage Road,” the club wrote.