Bayern Munich have sacked coach Nico Kovac, the club has announced.

The German giants announced the news on their Twitter feed just before midnight on Sunday, bringing to an end the Croat’s 15-month reign.

The news comes after the humiliating 5-1 thrashing suffered at the hands of Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday – the Bavarians’ heaviest defeat in a decade.

Kovac has been under the microscope constantly during his tenure, harshly criticised last autumn following a string of disappointing results, while Borussia Dortmund emerged as favourites for the Bundesliga title.

But Bayern rebounded and thrashed their rivals towards the end of the campaign as they took the initiative in the title race, going on to lift a seventh straight league championship and a domestic double.

But Bayern have now dropped a total of nine points this season (three draws, two losses) which had prompted pundits to suggest Kovac, a former Bayern player, would be replaced.

Spanish outlet AS suggest Bayern will hire former Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri to replace Kovac. The Italian left Juve at the end of the 2018/2019 season and was replaced by former Napoli and Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri.

Allegri collected five Scudettos during his tenure as Bianconeri boss and also took his side to the Champions League final in 2015, which they lost to Barcelona, 3-1.

However, Allegri doesn’t possess Bundesliga experience and doesn’t speak German, which both Bayern chiefs Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Uli Hoeness say is a prerequisite for Bayern managers.

AS also suggest Ajax manager Erik ten Hag and Tottenham’s Mauricio Pochettino are options to replace Kovac.