Nuno Espirito Santo has admitted his Tottenham tenure “didn’t go to plan” and described football as the “most ruthless sport” following his sacking after four months in charge.
The Portuguese, 47, was dismissed on November 1 after winning five of his 10 Premier League games before he was replaced by Antonio Conte.
Nuno, who left Wolves after four years at the end of last season, was named Spurs head coach on a two-year contract in June after a protracted search for Jose Mourinho’s permanent replacement but oversaw a total of only 17 matches.
In an Instagram post on Monday evening, Nuno said: “Wow, the last few weeks have been hectic to say the least.
“This is football the most ruthless sport in the game, only a couple of weeks back I was crowned Manager of the Month and fast forward to the present and it’s been some days since my dismissal at Spurs.
Neville: Man Utd are a train off the track
Why Howe could be perfect man for Newcastle
No plans to replace Ole at Man Utd despite some players’ doubts
Hughie Fury to fight ‘high-calibre’ heavyweight?
Smith Rowe receives first England call-up
Norwich shortlist Lampard, Smith and Hasenhuttl
How Smith Rowe hit another level
Injured Pogba out of France’s World Cup qualifiers
“This is life, I move on forward now looking for my next challenge and finally I want to thank the fans of Spurs, when I joined this great club I envisaged a vision to bring trophies but all didn’t go to plan.
“That’s all’s (sic) really we live and learn, look forward to keeping all of you posted and thank you once again for your constant support.”
Tottenham went into the first international break in September top of the Premier League after winning their opening three league games under Nuno, who won the Premier League manager of the month award for August.
However, the squad’s form soon fell away with Nuno dismissed after a run of five defeats in seven league matches, including a 3-0 loss at home to Manchester United in his final game in charge.
Nuno came under particular criticism for the style of play he employed at Spurs, which led to unrest among supporters, as he left with a record of eight wins, two draws and seven defeats in all competitions.
The Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust said Nuno had “conducted himself with integrity, good grace and civility” during his tenure, but added that he was “clearly not the right fit for Tottenham”.
Conte oversaw a 3-2 victory against Vitesse in the Europa League on Thursday in the first match of his Spurs tenure before Sunday’s 0-0 draw at Everton.
Spurs sit ninth in the Premier League ahead of the final international break of the year.