Oct 28 - Former Barcelona assistant Eder Sarabia has been appointed as Espanyol manager until June 2028, the club said in a statement on Wednesday.

• Sarabia replaces Manolo Gonzalez, who was sacked on Tuesday after a 4-3 Copa del Rey loss to fourth-tier Sestao.

• The 46-year-old was most recently in charge of Elche, guiding them to promotion and then survival in LaLiga in two seasons.

• Sarabia spent seven months as assistant manager to Quique Setien at city rivals Barcelona in 2020.

• Espanyol face Villarreal on Friday on Sarabia's debut as manager.

• After 10 games, Espanyol are 18th in the LaLiga standings with eight points. REUTERS