- A former Manchester United defender has been sacked as Lyon manager
- It comes after three losses in their opening four games of the Ligue 1 season
- Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s podcast ‘It’s All Kicking Off’
A former Manchester United defender has been sacked by Lyon, according to reports in France, after a torrid start to the season.
The French side sit bottom of Ligue 1 after taking just one point from their opening four games, which have included 4-1 losses to Paris Saint-Germain and Montpellier.
It comes in stark contrast to a 2022-23 campaign that saw Lyon finish seventh and reach the French Cup semi finals.
According to L’Equipe, the coach, who enjoyed an illustrious playing career with United, Inter Milan and Barcelona, has now been dismissed by the club in response to the poor run of form.
It will come as no surprise to him, given he bizarrely told a reporter the club should ‘change the manager’ when asked how to improve the situation after a recent loss.
Lyon currently sit bottom of Ligue 1 after a woeful start, despite finishing seventh last season
Lyon Under 19s coach Jeremie Brechet is expected to manage Lyon until a permanent replacement is appointed.
The downturn in results under Laurent Blanc comes as something of a surprise after he took over a struggling Lyon side last October and secured a solid mid-table finish.
Few managers have enjoyed more success than Blanc in French football over the past 20 years.
He has won four Ligue 1 titles, four league cups and a Coupe de France across spells at Bordeaux and PSG.
The 57-year-old has also been named French manager of the year twice but couldn’t live up to his illustrious reputation this season.
Fans will remember Blanc from his role in the Premier League-winning United side of 2003. He also won the World Cup and Euros with France and scored an impressive 153 career goals from centre back.
Lyon will next be in action against Le Havre in their first game back from the international break on Sunday.
Laurent Blanc has been sacked as Lyon manager after one point from their opening four games
Fans will remember Laurent Blanc for his role in Man United’s Premier League win in 2003
