West Ham boss Julen Lopetegui has returned to Spain to attend the funeral of his father Jose, who died on Tuesday aged 94.
Jose Lopetegui was a champion weightlifter who competed in the Basque sport of stone lifting.
Hammers head coach Lopetegui had last visited his father during the international break in November. He is expected to be back in the dugout on Saturday for the Premier League visit to Brighton.
In the meantime, Lopetegui’s coaching staff, Pablo Sanz and Edu Rubio, will train.
A West Ham spokesperson said: ‘West Ham United can confirm that head coach Julen Lopetegui has returned to Spain to attend the funeral of his father, Jose, who sadly passed away on Tuesday at the age of 94.
‘The thoughts and sincere condolences from everyone at the club go out to Julen, his family and friends, and we kindly ask that their privacy is respected at this time.
“Lopetegui’s coaching team will oversee training during this period.”
The former Real Madrid and Wolves manager initially turned down the chance to take over at Molineux due to his father’s ill health.
According to talkSPORT, Lopetegui met with the Wolves hierarchy in October 2022, just days after being relieved of his role at Sevilla, but turned down the chance to replace Bruno Lage, citing his father’s health.
Lopetegui Sr’s power was quite movingly displayed in a famous photo of the strongman hoisting his two young daughters above his head, while a young Julen stood next to his father.
“He was very recognized in stone carving at a time when it was much bigger than it is today and you could make a living from it,” Lopetegui told Mail Sport earlier this year.
”He was a great athlete in several sports, but he didn’t play football. Actually, I am the black sheep of the family, because my brother was a Basque platoon player at a high professional level for many years.’