Watford appoint Roy Hodgson until the end of the season

Watford have announced the appointment of Roy Hodgson as their new manager.

The former England boss, 74, will be joined at Vicarage Road by assistant Ray Lewington, who managed the Hornets from 2002 until 2005.

Claudio Ranieri was sacked by the Premier League strugglers on Monday after only 16 weeks in charge following a nine-game run without a win.

Hodgson is the Hornets’ 15th permanent manager in the last 10 years and their third this season following the dismissal of Xisco Munoz in October.

He inherits a relegation-threatened team sitting 19th in the table, two points from safety ahead of trip to bottom side Burnley on February 5.

Hodgson returns to management having left Crystal Palace at the end of last season.

Ranieri was shown the door in the wake of Friday night’s 3-0 home defeat by fellow relegation candidates Norwich, which left the 70-year-old Italian with a record of 11 defeats from his 14 games in charge.

Hodgson previously worked for the Pozzo family, owners of Watford, during a short stint as Udinese boss in 2001.

The Hornets are the sixth Premier League club he has managed following spells with Blackburn, Fulham, West Brom, Liverpool and boyhood club Palace.

Hodgson also managed England at European Championships in 2012 and 2016 and at the 2014 World Cup.

Back in December, Hodgson hinted he could be back in the dugout soon after he was recognised at the Sports Journalists’ Association British Sports Awards.

He said: “I don’t know how long I shall continue to be able to watch football without missing it. I’m working hard on that at the moment but I must say I chose the right time to move aside (from Crystal Palace).

“But you can always hope there will be some jobs along the way that people will invite you to participate in, so you don’t have to get the slippers and the pipe out every single day.”