London, July 20 : Nigel Pearson has been sacked as Watford manager and head coach, the Premier League club has announced. Pearson has been replaced by Hayden Mullins as interim boss for relegation-threatened Watford's final matches against Manchester City and Arsenal. "Watford FC confirms that Nigel Pearson has left the club with immediate effect," the club said in a statement on Sunday. "Hayden Mullins, with Graham Stack as his assistant, will take up the position of interim head coach for the Hornets' final two Premier League fixtures of the 2019/20 season," it added. Watford are placed at the 17th place in the current Premier League standings, three points above the relegation zone ahead of Tuesday's visit from City, with third-from-bottom Aston Villa having two games left and second-from-bottom Bournemouth just one. /IANS