ISL: Hyderabad FC appoint Manolo Marquez as new head coach

Indian Super League (ISL) side Hyderabad FC on Monday announced the appointment highly-experienced Spaniard Manuel 'Manolo' Marquez as their new head coach.

Spain's Albert Roca was slated to coach Hyderabad FC but a call from new FC Barcelona coach Ronald Koeman forced him to sever ties and join the Spanish giants' coaching staff.

Marquez, who previously worked at the helm in the Spanish LaLiga and the Croatian top-flight, has penned a one-year deal till the end of the 2020-21 season.

"It's a big challenge for me to join Hyderabad FC as we are set to begin our season soon. The club has already been preparing and working on a lot of things over the last few months so that makes it a comparatively smoother process for me to settle in," said the 51-year-old.

"Given that Hyderabad FC intends to follow the same philosophy which I've worked with over so many years, I believe there are common goals already present. Now it's just about hitting the ground running and imparting those ideologies to the players," he added.

Hyderabad FC co-owner Varun Tripuraneni said: "We have worked towards a unified goal over the last seven-eight months while building our team. It has been one of our top priorities to continue the good work that everyone has put in and we strongly believe that Manuel Marquez is the perfect choice to do that."

"He has the credentials, and more importantly the experience to fit into our club. He has consistently proven himself at various levels and we expect a seamless transition."

A defender by trade, the Barcelona native turned out for various sides in the Spanish leagues, before hanging up his boots at the age of 28. During his two-decade-long coaching career, Marquez has worked with the likes of PB Anguera, AE Prat, CE Europa, CF Badalona, RCD Espanyol B, UE Sant Andreu, and UD Las Palmas B in the Spanish league system.

He took charge of LaLiga side UD Las Palmas in 2017 before working with Croatian top-flight side NK Istra 1961 in 2018.