Abelardo Fernandez has resigned as coach of Sporting Gijon following the side's fourth consecutive defeat in La Liga.

The club are 18th in the table and four points from safety following a season which has seen them suffer 12 defeats from their 18 games to date.

In a statement on their website, Gijon said: "Following a meeting of the Board of Directors held today, Real Sporting has resolved, in agreement with Abelardo Fernandez, for him to leave his position as coach of the first team. The decision has been made after analysing the current situation and the results obtained.

"Real Sporting wishes to expressly acknowledge the involvement, effort and professionalism of 'Pitu' Abelardo at the helm of the team, as well as his willingness to sign the agreement to leave the club, which will always be his home."

Abelardo took over at El Molinon in May 2014 and had a win percentage of 33.6% over his 110 games in charge.

Former Real Valladolid and Levante coach Rubi is the favourite to succeed Abelardo and will reportedly meet with the club's board later on Wednesday.