Dwight Yorke has left Macarthur just 13 matches into a two-year contract with the Australian side.
Yorke was appointed as the boss of the A-League side in May 2022, returning to the league he played in for Sydney FC back in 2005/06. The 51-year-old won five, drew two and lost six of his league games with The Bulls before agreeing to step aside after a 1-0 defeat by Adelaide United.
The former Manchester United striker held a meeting with Macarthur chairman Gino Marra on Saturday where it was agreed that he and assistant Russell Latapy would leave. Macarthur's statement said Yorke would like “to pursue other opportunities”, with a move to take charge of Sydney rumoured.
"I want to thank the chairman Gino Marra, CEO Sam Krslovic, all the ownership group as well as all the staff and fans of Macarthur FC,” Yorke told the club website. "I leave the football club with a great team that will continue to challenge for more silverware."
The brief stint at Macarthur was Yorke’s first in management. He was recommended to the club by his former Aston Villa team-mate Mark Bosnich, who is close with Macarthur's hierarchy.
Macarthur are currently sixth in the A-League table with 17 points from 13 games. Despite being there only a short time, Yorke did win the Australia Cup – the club’s first ever piece of silverware. Macarthur, who are based in south-west Sydney, were only founded in 2018.
Marra, the club’s chairman, said: "I would like to thank Dwight Yorke and his assistant Russell Latapy for their contribution towards our club and, in particular, Dwight leading Macarthur to our first silverware with our 2022 Australia Cup triumph."
Yorke is tipped in the Australian press to take over at Sydney FC, whose manager, Steve Corica, is under huge pressure. The Sky Blues are 10th in A-League, with just four wins from 13 matches following their 1-0 defeat by Western United on Saturday.
“Our boys played well, we defended well, they didn’t cause us too many issues and it was just one moment, we shouldn’t have lost today, it’s as simple as that,” Corica said after the loss.
“We should be doing better than we are, it’s half way through the season and there’s a lot of work to do but we’ve got a game on Thursday against Melbourne Victory so we need to pick ourselves up for that.”
If Yorke does move to Sydney, it may mean an awkward reunion with Corica, who was a team-mate in the Sydney side that won the inaugural A-League title in 2006.
