Ex-Liverpool defender Pellegrino set to take charge of Velez Sarsfield

BUENOS AIRES - Former Barcelona and Liverpool defender Mauricio Pellegrino has agreed to join his former side Velez Sarsfield as head coach, a senior club official said on Tuesday.

Pellegrino will replace ex-Real Madrid and Manchester United center-back Gabriel Heinze, who stepped down last month after more than two years in the role.

"Everything has been agreed to. We just need to complete some paperwork regarding Heinze's departure before we confirm it," Velez's technical director Pablo Cavallero told Radio Rivadavia.

Pellegrino's managerial career has included spells in charge of Valencia, Estudiantes, Independiente, Alaves and Southampton. He has been out of work since parting ways with Spanish top-flight outfit Leganes last October.

As a player, Pellegrino made 186 league appearances for Velez before stints with Barcelona, Valencia, Liverpool and Alaves. He was capped three times for Argentina's national team in 1997.

Velez finished third in the 2019-20 Argentinian Superliga standings, nine points behind champions Boca Juniors.