ISL: Hyderabad FC appoint Manolo Márquez as new head coach

Hyderabad FC have appointed Manolo Márquez as their new head coach ahead of Indian Super League (ISL) 2020-21. The former UD Las Palmas (La Liga) manager will replace his cousin Albert Roca will be joining Ronald Koeman's first-team coaching staff as a fitness coach at FC Barcelona.

“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 Marquez after completing formalities.

🚨 OFFICIAL! Hyderabad FC have appointed former UD Las Palmas (La Liga) manager Manolo Márquez as the club's new Head Coach. #HyderabadFC 🟡⚫️ #WelcomeManolo 🇪🇸 @2014_manel pic.twitter.com/JsDGQEfiK7

— Hyderabad FC (@HydFCOfficial) August 31, 2020

Hyderabad FC co-owner Varun Tripuraneni said, “We’ve 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 Márquez 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.”

Having worked closely with a number of top La Liga coaches in current CD Leganes manager Javier Aguirre and former Barcelona and Real Betis coach Quique Setién, Márquez strongly believes in and is eager to continue the philosophy that HFC has been working on since the start of 2020.

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, Márquez 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 La Liga side UD Las Palmas in 2017 before working with Croatian top-flight side NK Istra 1961 in 2018.

Also read: ISL: Albert Roca leaves Hyderbad FC for Barcelona