Hearts manager Craig Levein has been sacked after a poor run of results which have left the club near the bottom of the Premiership.

The former Scotland and Dundee United manager took over for his second spell as Hearts boss in August 2017, having been director of football.

The 55-year-old, who also played for Hearts, won't be resuming his director of football role, the club confirmed.

However, he will see out his contract until the end of the season, working to develop the club's internal structure.

The decision comes just days before the club take on Rangers in a League Cup semi-final at Hampden.

A 1-0 loss to St Johnstone on Wednesday left Hearts sitting 11th in the Premiership table.

In a statement, the club said: "The board would like to thank Craig for all of his efforts as first team manager.

"Craig has worked tirelessly and selflessly, around the clock, to try to achieve success, despite the many challenges with which he has been faced."