Hoefkens, who was only appointed in May, defied the odds by helping Brugge finish above Bayer Leverkusen and Atletico Madrid to reach the knockout stage of the UEFA Champions League for the first time, where Benfica awaits over two legs.

However, it has struggled domestically as it sits fourth in the league and was knocked out of the cup by Sint-Truidense last week, leading to Hoefkens's dismissal.

Parker managed Fulham between February 2019 and June 2021, before taking over the reins at Bournemouth ahead of the 2021-2022 campaign.

He guided the Cherries to promotion to the Premier League, but was sacked after a run of three straight league defeats, culminating in an embarrassing 9-0 thumping by Liverpool in August.

Brugge is back in action on 9 January (AEDT) with a trip to Belgian First Division leader Genk.