English football club Watford on Saturday appointed Marco Silva as head coach for two seasons, replacing Walter Mazzari after an underwhelming 17th-place finish in the English Premier League (EPL).
The 39-year-old, who has experience of managing in Portugal, Greece and most recently in England with Hull City, parted ways with the latter after being appointed in January. Hull City were relegated to the second division after 18th place in EPL.
Watford Chairman and CEO Scott Duxbury said in a statement: "Marco was one of the most sought after head coaches in the (English) Premier League. His pedigree and promise speaks for itself with his achievements in top divisions elsewhere across Europe, as well as his work at Hull City last season."
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"We are delighted to have secured his services and to be welcoming a Head Coach of his profile and potential," he added.
"It's an exciting time to be a Watford fan, and I'm sure all supporters will join me in offering Marco and his family the warmest of welcomes to Vicarage Road."
A title-winner in Greece with Olympiacos, he'd previously led Sporting Lisbon to a third-place finish in Portugal in 2014 and delivered their first trophy, the Portuguese Cup, since 2008.
Early managerial experiences were gained at Estoril, where he guided the club to promotion and a place in Portugal's top-flight.
The Greek Super League triumph in 2016 came with six games to spare, with Silva having earlier in that campaign led his team to victory at Arsenal in a UEFA Champions League match.
--IANS
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