Man City part ways with head coach Gareth Taylor & name interim replacement | OneFootball

Manchester City have confirmed the departure of head coach Gareth Taylor after five years in charge, with former boss Nick Cushing returning to the club as his interim replacement.

The 52-year-old worked with the club's academy prior to taking charge of the women's side in 2020. That season, he guided them to FA Cup glory, while they reached the final again in 2022 and won the League Cup that same year.

Last season was City's best league campaign under his leadership as they pushed eventual champions Chelsea right until the final day. Despite concluding the WSL campaign with a victory over Aston Villa, they narrowly missed out on goal difference.

This season, however, has been a different story. With injuries to key players, City have struggled to keep the pace at the top of the table and are currently fourth in the standings, 12 points adrift of Chelsea.

City have confirmed that former head coach, Nick Cushing, will take charge of the team on an interim basis until the end of the season. Cushing, who recently left his role as manager of MLS side New York City FC, won the WSL, League Cup and FA Cup during his previous spell at City between 2013 and 2020.

Managing director Charlotte O'Neill said: "Manchester City prides itself on competing at the top of the WSL and on its outstanding record of qualifying for European competition. Unfortunately, results this season have so far not reached this high standard.

"With six games of the WSL campaign remaining, we believe that a change of management will breathe fresh life into our bid to ensure qualification for the 2025/26 UEFA Women’s Champions League.

"We would like to place on record our thanks to Gareth for all of his efforts during his many years at City. Our FA Cup and League Cup triumphs will remain special moments in the history of this football club. We wish him all the best for the future."

City face a tough month having won their FA Cup quarter-final clash against Aston Villa on Sunday. Over the coming weeks, they will take on rivals Chelsea four times across three different competitions in the space of 13 days, starting with this weekend's League Cup final.