Former England captain Paul Ince has taken over as Reading FC manager on an interim basis after Veljko Paunovic left by mutual consent.
Paunovic left the Royals after it was agreed with the hierarchy prior to their win over Preston North End, which was their first victory since November.
Ince will be joined by former Royals player Michael Gilkes who will take over the role as assistant manager.
Chief executive Dayong Pang said: “I met in person with Pauno yesterday morning and I would like to personally thank him for his commitment and dedication to our club during his time as first-team manager – but also his professionalism throughout what have been undeniably challenging circumstances this season. Everyone at Reading Football Club would like to wish Veljko the very best of luck in his future career.
“The board and I will now work diligently to identify the right candidate to take this club forward. This work will be done quickly but without undue haste as we fully appreciate the importance of our decision to appoint a new manager at this crucial stage of the campaign.”
Ince will not take over duties as first-team boss just weeks after his son Tom Ince joined on a loan deal until the end of the season from Stoke City.
Ince had a glittering career as a player which saw him star for European giants such as Manchester United, Inter Milan and Liverpool where he won two Premier League titles and two FA Cups and several other trophies during his time with United.
Since retiring from his playing career, Ince has managed at five different clubs but has not been in charge of a team since 2014.
He started his managerial career with Macclesfield Town in 2006 before joining MK Dons in 2007.
He left Dons for a one-year stint at Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League, but left Rovers with a win rate of just 28.6% and returned to MK Dons.
Ince took over charge of Notts County in 2010 for a season and then managed one campaign with Blackpool in 2013/14 with a win record of 28.6%.
