Marcelino returns to Villarreal

Madrid, Nov 14 (IANS) La Liga side Villarreal on Monday confirmed the return of Marcelino Garcia Toral as first team coach seven years after he left.

Marcelino becomes Villarreal's third coach of the season and replaces Jose Luis Rojo 'Pacheta', who was sacked on Friday after just eight La Liga matches at the helm, reports Xinhua.

The 58-year-old returns to coaching with a contract until the end of June 2026, after resigning from his post at Olympique de Marseille after just seven matches in charge, explaining that the poor relations between the club's 'Ultras' and the Board of Directors made it impossible for him to do his job.

His long career involves spells with Sporting Gijon, Racing Santander, Recreativo Huelva, Sevilla, Valencia and Athletic Bilbao, which was his last position in Spain.

Marcelino's first spell at Villarreal between 2013 and 2016 saw him lead the team to promotion back to La Liga and to three top-six finishes. However, it ended badly just before the start of the 2016-17 season following Villarreal's loss to Sporting Gijon on the last day of the previous campaign.

The result allowed Sporting Gijon to avoid relegation, with the controversy coming from the fact that Marcelino began his playing career at the club and also coached both Sporting Gijon's B team and first team.