Real confirmed Loptegui had been sacked on Monday night, a day after the team went down to a 5-1 defeat to arch rivals Barca at Camp Nou.

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The dismissal caps an abysmal reign for former Spanish national team coach Lopetegui, who took over from Zinedine Zidane in controversial circumstances in the summer.

Lopetegui was named Real boss while still manager of Spain, just days before the team was due to open its World Cup campaign in Russia.

The prompted Lopetegui’s dismissal from the Spain job, and his tenure at Real has lasted little over four months, being capped by the dismal defeat at Barca which leaves the team ninth in the La Liga table, seven points behind their Catalan rivals after 10 games played.

While Zidane’s shoes would always be tough to fill – with the Frenchman a club legend as a player and manager, having led them to three successive Champions League titles in the last three years as coach – Lopetegui nrarely even hinted at reaching the heights expected from the Madrid fans or hierarchy.

His short-lived reign saw the team set an unwanted record for the longest stretch without scoring – 465 minutes – while they suffered a string of unexpected defeats, including a 1-0 Champions League loss to CSKA Moscow in the Russian capital.

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Ultimately, however, it was the abject El Clasico defeat to Barca which sealed Lopetegui’s fate.