Schmadtke successor

Ex-team player becomes new Liverpool sporting director

The former Scottish soccer team player Richard Hughes is to become the new sporting director at Liverpool FC. The second-placed team in the English Premier League made the announcement on Wednesday. Hughes will officially take over at the end of the current season when coach Jürgen Klopp leaves the club after almost nine years.

Hughes will therefore succeed German manager Jörg Schmadtke, who left his job as sporting director at the Reds at the end of the winter transfer window after just six months.

The 44-year-old Hughes gained experience as technical director at AFC Bournemouth, where he was largely successful for a decade. As a player, the Scot had mainly played in defensive midfield for Portsmouth and Bournemouth.