OFFICIAL: Juric leaves Southampton after Premier League demotion

Ivan Juric has left Southampton a day after the club's relegation from the Premier League was confirmed. The Saints became the first club from Europe's major leagues to be relegated this season following their 3-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.

Appointed just before Christmas, the Croatia international was relieved of his duties as head coach after just 108 days in charge, in which he oversaw only one win out of his 14 Premier League games - a 2-1 victory over Ipswich in February.

His dismal run also meant that Southampton became the earliest team ever to be relegated from the English top-flight, seeing their demotion to the Championship confirmed with seven matches still left to play.

"Ivan came to Southampton at a tough time and was tasked with trying to improve a squad in a difficult situation," reads a statement from the south coast side.

"Unfortunately, we haven’t seen performances progress the way we had hoped, but we would like to thank Ivan and his staff for their honesty and hard work as they fought against the odds to try and keep us up. 

"With relegation to the Championship now confirmed, we believe it is important to give fans, players and staff some clarity on the future as we head into a very important summer.

"The process of finding a new manager to lead us as we look to secure an immediate return to the Premier League has now begun and is being led by Group Technical Director Johannes Spors.

"In the meantime, Simon Rusk has agreed to take charge of the team as Interim Manager for the remaining seven fixtures of this season and will be assisted by Adam Lallana. 

"We remain incredibly grateful for the ongoing support of our fans. Their continued dedication and passion, despite what has been a very tough season, is remarkable and is appreciated by everyone at the club.

"Despite the challenges that relegation will bring, our goal is to restore a sense of pride for them in their team and club once again."