Ian Cathro wins manager of the month in Portugal with Estoril

Ian Cathro lasted just seven months in his first managerial role at Heart of Midlothian but is rebuilding his career impressively in Portugal.

Cathro was highly rated when was appointed by Hearts aged just 30 but won only seven of his 30 games in charge and was dismissed after a shock League Cup group-stage exit in 2017.

The 38-year-old then worked under Nottingham Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo at Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur before a spell with Al-Ittihad in Saudi Arabia as a first-team coach.

He joined Estoril, a small club to the west of Lisbon, in July last year and had a difficult initial three months in charge.

But ‘The Canaries’ are on a run of five consecutive wins – for the first time since the 1948-49 season – which has earned the Scotsman the Portuguese top flight’s coach of the month award.

It is voted for by his peers and Cathro polled 40%, ahead of Vasco Seabra of FC Arouca and Braga’s former Sheffield Wednesday boss Carlos Carvalhal.

Before taking over at Estoril, Cathro’s previous experience of Portuguese football was as an assistant to Nuno at Rio Ave from 2012 to 2014.

He succeeded Seabra, who left after only nine months but led Estoril to their first cup final in 80 years, where they lost to Braga after a penalty shoot-out in the League Cup.

Cathro’s assistant at Hearts was Austin MacPhee, who on Wednesday joined the coaching staff of the Portugal national team.