Struggling J-League first division club Sagan Tosu announced the departure Sunday of manager Lluis Carreras less than three months into the season.

The 46-year-old Spaniard leaves with Sagan having scored only one goal after 10 rounds of the J-League season. The team has one win and sits bottom of the table.

Former Real Zaragoza manager Carreras had been unable to find a consistent starting lineup for Sagan, who made international headlines by signing Spanish striker Fernando Torres last year.

(Suppied photo shows Lluis Carreras.)
[Photo courtesy of J-League]

Assistant manager and former Sagan center-back Kim Myung Hwi has taken the reins as head coach.

The 37-year-old Japan-born South Korean Kim helped the club stave off relegation as caretaker last season after the sacking of their previous manager, Italian Massimo Ficcadenti, with five games left.

While Sagan announced Carreras had resigned, comments on Sunday from chairman Minoru Takehara suggested the Spaniard had been pushed out.

"The decision was made based on the number of wins and losses, as well as how the games were played," Takehara said.

Former Atletico Madrid and Liverpool star Torres defended the outgoing manager, saying the players and club ownership shared responsibility for Sagan's lack of success.

Torres said Carreras, a former teammate at Atletico, had not been given enough time to implement his plans at the club.

"He had great ideas. The responsibility lies with all of us players for not carrying them out," said Torres, who has yet to score or assist in an injury-hampered campaign.

"It takes time to do new things. The club was not patient enough."

One of the first in a wave of big-name Spanish players to join the J-League, the 35-year-old Torres has recently been linked with a move to second-tier Mexican side Atletico de San Luis, which is partly owned by Atletico Madrid.