Premier League strugglers Swansea City appointed Carlos Carvalhal as their manager until the end of the season on Thursday. Carvalhal was sacked by second-tier Sheffield Wednesday on Christmas Eve, but Swansea surprisingly chose the Portuguese coach to replace Paul Clement, who lost his job on December 20.

The 52-year-old former Besiktas, Sporting Lisbon and Sheffield Wednesday boss has been given the job until the end of the season with the option of an extension. “We felt we needed to get the managerial situation resolved as soon as possible and while the timing is not always perfect, we can look forward to the second half of the campaign with renewed optimism,” Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins said.

Swansea are currently at the bottom of the Premier League table with 13 points from 20 games. Swansea have won just three games and have lost 13. They have also drawn four games. Carvalhal’s first match as coach will be against Watford on Saturday.