A PROLONGED cup run can no longer gurantee a manager time in a job after Watford announced Quique Sanchez Flores will be replaced at the end of the season.

Flores led the Hornets to the FA Cup semi-final and secured their Premier League status for another year with relative ease, in what many outside the club perceived as an excellent season for the club.

Everton parted ways with Roberto Martinez on Thursday morning, in a season where the Spaniard got the club to two domestic cup semi-finals.

Those in charge at Vicarage Road admitted yesterday that Flores achieved his targets for the season but made the decision to move him on regardless, with former Inter Milan and Napoli manager Walter Mazzari the favourite to take over at Watford.

Despite the former Valencia boss becoming the first Watford manager to avoid relegation in the Premier League, the turning point is believed to be the team’s inability to secure a top-six finish — having been in eighth after beating Crystal Palace 2-1 in February and just four points off sixth-placed Southampton.

Flores himself admitted that the option not to renew his contract came after he and the club disagreed over how the season went.

“We looked at all the season during the meeting and after that I confirmed that the club and me don’t have the same point of view about the season,” Flores said.

“So we don’t have the necessary conditions to activate the clause to renew my contract.

“My contract finishes at the end of June and then I will leave Watford. This is the consequence.”