Robert de Pauw sacked by Aston Villa women after just six months amid allegations of 'unprofessional' comments to players - including about their appearance

Villa announced that De Pauw had left the club with immediate effect just hours before their League Cup fixture with Charlton on Wednesday afternoon. His appointment brought with it optimism in the summer, after he had enjoyed success at Twente and then Bayer Leverkusen. However, the Dutchman guided Villa to just one win from their first nine Women's Super League games.

Following the official news, The Guardian reported that De Pauw left amid "concerns regarding the way he had allegedly spoken to his players, including about their appearance". The story said concerns of "allegedly unprofessional remarks" were "raised internally" and this was then looked into by the club.

Meanwhile, BBC Sport was told by sources that some players had grown "unhappy" with De Pauw's "coaching methods" and that he was actually sent home earlier this week after one training session.

A statement from Aston Villa on Wednesday made no mention of the reasoning behind De Pauw departure, simply thanking him for his commitment and wishing him well for the future. Shaun Goater, the former Manchester City striker who was part of the Dutchman's staff, will be in charge until a new manager is appointed.

Aston Villa will play their final fixture before the WSL's winter break on Sunday, at home to another struggling team in West Ham. Villa are one place and two points behind the Hammers in the table, and just one point above the drop zone.