Former Argentina international midfielder Guido Pizarro has been appointed manager of Tigres UANL for the rest of the Liga MX Clausura season.

In a statement, Tigres said the 37-year-old - who until Sunday had been a part of Tigres' first-team squad - had ended his playing career to assume the position.

"Guido Pizarro has decided to retire as a Tigres player. Also, due to his career, leadership and preparation, the board has made the decision to name him as the new coach of our team," the statement read.

Pizarro replaces Serbia's Veljko Paunovic, who was sacked despite the team's strong start to the Mexican top-flight season.

In a press conference on Monday, Pizarro denied reports that Paunovic had lost the support of the players.

"I join in thanking Paunovic and his coaching staff, who have given everything so that the institution continues to achieve its objectives," he said.

Capped four times for Argentina, Pizarro spent 11 years at Tigres over two spells. He had been captain since 2019 and recently received his coaching pro-license from the Mexican football federation to go with a degree in sports management.

"I've been feeling for a long time that I am more of a coach than a player," he said. "I wanted to take this step and I'm ready. My goal is to make Tigres a leading team in all fields."

Pizarro's first game in charge will be Tuesday's away clash against Cincinnati in the round of 16 of the CONCACAF Champions Cup.

Tigres is third in the 18-team Liga MX Clausura standings with 19 points from 10 games, seven points behind leader Leon. 

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