Luis Boa Morte will leave his role as Fulham first-team coach at the end of the season to take charge of Guinea-Bissau.

The 46-year-old Portuguese joined the Cottagers in 2021 when Marco Silva was appointed as the London club’s head coach.

The pair had previously worked together at Sporting Lisbon and Everton, while Boa Morte also played more than 150 games for Fulham between 2001 and 2007.

“Everyone at Fulham would like to thank Boa for his efforts since his return to the club, and wishes him the best of luck in this next chapter when he departs following our season finale away to Luton Town,” Fulham said in a statement, external.

Boa Morte’s role with the West African nation will be his first coaching position in international football and sees him take charge of a side ranked 118th in the world.

Nicknamed the African Wild Dogs, Guinea-Bissau have never qualified for the World Cup or progressed beyond the group stage of the Africa Cup of Nations in four previous attempts.

At this year’s Nations Cup in Ivory Coast, they lost all three of their games as they finished bottom of Group A.

Boa Morte’s only previous experience as a manager came at Portuguese fourth-tier side Sintrense between 2017 and 2018.

A forward with a strong left foot, he won the Premier League title with Arsenal in 1998 and also played for West Ham and Southampton, as well as having short spells in Greece and South Africa.

Boa Morte made 28 appearances for Portugal, scoring one goal.