Plymouth Argyle have sacked Ian Foster after just three months in charge. The former England Under-20 coach was only named manager of the Championship club in early January following Steven Schumacher’s move to Stoke.

The former Liverpool academy player – who was called “the perfect candidate” by the Plymouth chairman, Simon Hallett, upon his unveiling – had previously led England Under-19s to the European Championship title in 2022.

However, after a positive start, Plymouth’s form has fallen away with a run of eight defeats in the last 11 matches, including five in succession at home. The slump in form means Argyle are only outside the bottom three by one point and Foster’s sacking came after the 1-0 home defeat by Bristol City on Easter Monday.

The director of football, Neil Dewsnip, and the first-team coach, Kevin Nancekivell, will take charge of the team for the remainder of the season.

“Ian was hired through a thorough and extensive recruitment process and his coaching credentials really stood out when making the appointment,” Hallett said on the club website.

“But we have to balance long-term stability against short-term decisions, and we have given Ian as long as possible to see if results could improve. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case, and we feel now is the right time to make a change to give us the best chance of securing survival.

“The Green Army have been incredible in recent weeks, as ever, and we need you all now to continue that support as we embark on the final weeks of the campaign with Neil and Nance in charge. Together we can achieve what we set out to achieve at the start of the season.”