Sevilla have given manager Jorge Sampaoli the boot after a lackluster performance, which pushed the team just two points away from the relegation zone in La Liga.

A 2-0 defeat at fellow strugglers Getafe Sunday proved the final straw for Sampaoli – who had only returned for his second spell in charge in October.

Sevilla have won just twice in their past seven La Liga matches, losing four games in that run.

Sampaoli steered Sevilla into the quarterfinals of the Europa League, but a different coach will now be in the dugout when they go head-to-head with Manchester United.

"Sevilla have terminated the contract of coach Jorge Sampaoli after the team's defeat in Getafe, which has once again placed the team on the verge of relegation places. The fact that the team has not managed to get out of the lowest positions in the table since his incorporation as a coach and the image offered in the last matches of the team has led the club to make this decision, in search of a reaction in the 12 games that remain in the league. Sevilla thanks Sampaoli for his services and wishes him the best of luck in his future," read the Sevilla statement.

The club said they planned to appoint a new coach later on Tuesday, to be in charge in time to take an early-evening training session.

Former Real Valladolid and Eibar boss Jose Luis Mendilibar are seen as strong candidates for the vacant post.

Sampaoli was first put in charge in Sevilla ahead of the 2016-17 season and led them to a fourth-placed finish in La Liga before leaving to take over as Argentina's head coach.