Chinese Super League club Hebei China Fortune has roped in former Manchester United boss Manuel Pellegrini as their new manager, the club announced Saturday morning.
Manuel Pellegrini comes as a replacement for the club’s former manager Li Tie.
An official club statement read: “We reached an agreement after friendly talks with Li Tie, who will no longer be the club’s head coach,”
Li Tie had taken charge at the club last August and played a pivotal role in guiding the team to qualify for their inaugural Chinese Super League season.
“At the beginning of this season, Hebei performed well under the coaching of Li. However, Li criticized China’s national team official in a press conference after the 15th round CSL match, which caused a big impact. After that, Hebei encountered a win-less streak. With injuries adding to the woes, the team has dropped position in the standing,” said the statement.
The club at present is on 35 points and sits at the sixth place on the points table – 15 points behind the league leader Guangzhou Evergrande. The club already has star players like former national captain Du Wei and Ivory Coast striker Gervinho. It is believed that the club bosses are looking forward to rope in more talents in the next transfer window.
New manager Pellegrini comes in with loads of experience after managing top-flight clubs like Villarreal, Real Madrid, Malaga and Manchester City. The 62-year-old manager took charge at Man City in 2013 and had made an immediate impact by clinching the Premier League title in his debut season. He moved away from the English side after seeing his contract expire at the end of the 2015-16 EPL season.