UD Las Palmas have officially sacked head coach Rubén De la Barrera following a poor run of form. The club has appointed Juan Manuel Rodríguez, previously in charge of the B team, as their interim manager on a temporary basis.
The dismissal came on Monday, a day after a 3-1 defeat away to Mallorca. Under De la Barrera, the yellow-and-blue side collected just 11 points from a possible 27 in the first nine matchdays of LaLiga Hypermotion and conceded 16 goals, leaving them just three points above the relegation zone. The club confirmed the decision via a statement on their social media channels.
Juan Manuel Rodríguez, 67, takes charge for the fourth time in the first team's history. He is the fifth manager with the most games overseen in UD Las Palmas' history, with a total of 125 official matches, all in the second division. His last game in charge dates back to June 2012.
Presented on Tuesday, Rodríguez made his position clear. "I am a club man and I did not hesitate to accept the situation because it is an honour to represent Unión Deportiva," the coach explained. He stated he had not asked for "money or signings" in return and would step aside when the board finds a permanent successor.
The interim manager took his first training session with the squad on Tuesday afternoon at the training ground. His first official match will be this Saturday, 17 October, at 20:00 local time, against CD Castellón at the Estadio de Gran Canaria. Rodríguez avoided outlining specific tactical plans but sent a clear message to the squad.
"I am going to tell the players the truth of what I think: where I am heading and who wants to come with me in that direction," he stated. He added that with him "nobody has their place guaranteed" and his priority is to build a unit "that has balance, knows how to defend and attack".
Rodríguez also highlighted the advantage of arriving from the B team, Las Palmas Atlético, due to his knowledge of the academy players, whom he described as "the engine of the club". The coach admitted he does not yet know the exact status of injury absentees and which players he will have available immediately. The squad faces a decisive week to try and change their momentum, with focus on the next league fixture.
De la Barrera's tenure, which ran under a contract until June 2027, ends prematurely after just nine matches. With this change, UD Las Palmas will have had five different managers in the last three seasons. Juan Manuel Rodríguez takes on the challenge on a temporary basis, aiming to bring solidity to a team in urgent need of points to move away from the lower reaches of the table.
