Saudi club Al Ittihad hire Argentine Marcelo Gallardo as coach

Paris: Saudi champions Al Ittihad announced on Saturday they had hired Marcelo Gallardo, who led River Plate to two Copa Libertadores titles, as coach.

The Argentine replaces Nuno Espirito Santo who took Al Ittihad to the Saudi title last season.

The Portuguese former Tottenham and Wolves manager was fired earlier in November following a run of bad results and amid reports of a difficult relationship with star striker Karim Benzema, who joined the club in June.

Gallardo, started as a midfielder with River Plate in his native Buenos Aires, where he won the Copa Libertadores. He won a Ligue 1 title during a four-year spell playing for Monaco.

He coached Nacional of Montevideo to a Uruguayan title in 2012 and returned to River as coach in May 2014, winning a string of trophies before allowing his contract to wind down last November.