Steve McClaren has been sacked by German Bundesliga strugglers Wolfsburg, the club have confirmed.
Former Middlesbrough and England boss McClaren left Dutch champions FC Twente for the Volkswagen Arena last May but has endured a miserable time in Germany.
Die Wolfe are currently one point above the relegation zone despite heavy investment funded by the sale of Edin Dzeko to Manchester City during the January transfer window, and the weekend defeat to Hannover has proved to be the final act of McClaren’s reign.
Director of sport Dieter Hoeness said in a statement: “We were no longer sure that we could work with Steve McClaren until the end of the season with some stability.
“We have tried to make things work for as long as possible, but we have lost faith that we can bring success.”
Assistant manager Pierre Littbarski has been handed the task of turning around Wolfsburg’s fortunes in the final few months of the season.