Adam Lallana will act as player-coach for the final seven games of the season at Southampton, with the ex-Liverpool midfielder promoted after Ivan Juric’s exit.
Juric may go down as one of the least memorable managers ever in the Premier League after he was sacked from the Southampton job on Monday.
The decision came as no surprise with Southampton having suffered the earliest relegation in the history of the English top flight following their 3-1 loss to Tottenham.
It leaves the south-coast club planning for next season in the Championship, perhaps ruing their decision to sack Russell Martin and appoint Juric back in December.
There are still seven games to play, however, and that has seen Southampton name Simon Rusk as interim manager with Lallana as his assistant.
Lallana rejoined Southampton as a player last summer, signing a one-year contract following his departure from Brighton, and will now split his duties between the pitch and the dugout.
It is not the 36-year-old’s first coaching role, having also held the short-term position as interim assistant at Brighton when Graham Potter was sacked in 2022.
He has also worked with England U21s as a coach and mentor while working towards his coaching badges with a view to moving into the job full-time when his playing career is over.
His retirement could be in the offing, with Lallana yet to agree a new contract with Southampton having decided to move back to the area to be with his young family.
Upon leaving Brighton last summer he suggested to BBC Sport that, while he had “a little bit in the tank left,” any move to a new club would be dependent on where they were based.
Lallana spent six years at Liverpool between 2014 and 2020 and was considered a firm favourite of both Brendan Rodgers and Jurgen Klopp.
“He’s an outstanding player, he’s one of the most influential players on a training quality that I ever had in my life, he’s an incredible professional,” Klopp said ahead of Lallana’s departure in 2020.
The German added: “He is one of the most important players of the time since I am here, so I wish him only the best for the future.
“From my point of view, he is already a legend here, so he can now start becoming a legend somewhere else from next season on.”
