Leicester have appointed Mike Ford as senior coach to aid bid for safety

Father of fly-half George will assist head coach Geordan Murphy in short-term

Ford most recently worked as the head coach of Germany before his return

Leicester have taken urgent action to address their slide into the Premiership relegation danger zone, by appointing Mike Ford as a senior coach, with immediate effect.

The former England and Lions defence guru - who guided Bath to the league final back in 2015 - is due to officially start work for the Tigers on Monday.

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Sportsmail understands that he has initially been appointed on a short-term contract, to assist rookie head coach Geordan Murphy in his quest to guide the East Midlands club to safety.

Mike Ford has been appointed as senior coach as Leicester seek to avoid relegation

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A series of dire results have seen Leicester plunge to 10th in the table and, with five matches of the regular season remaining, they find themselves just five points above bottom club Newcastle.

With league leaders Exeter coming to Welford Road next weekend, the Tigers are likely to face a crunch survival clash with the Falcons at Kingston Park on April 12.

Sources have indicated to Sportsmail that Ford - whose son, England fly-half George, is Leicester's primary playmaker - has been on the Tigers' radar for some time. It is understood that informal talks were held last summer about bringing him into Matt O'Connor's management team, before the Australian was abruptly sacked one match into the new season.

Ex-Bath head coach Ford is the father of current Leicester and England fly-half George Ford

Previously, reservations were expressed about the prospect of an influential father-son dynamic at Welford Road, but those reservations have been over-taken by the need to alleviate a desperate predicament.

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Ford will bring vast experience, having also previously coached Ireland, the Lions and Toulon. His most recent, temporary post, was as head coach of Germany, during their World Cup qualifying matches late last year.

Precise details about the scope of Ford's remit are not clear at this stage, but he is thought to have a good, long-standing rapport with Murphy - who was an Ireland player when Ford was serving as the team's defence coach. Beyond this season, the coaching team are likely to be the subject of a fresh review, with Leicester already understood to have made enquiries about recruiting Australia head coach Michael Cheika after the World Cup.

Meanwhile, in another response to the Tigers' recent slump, sources have suggested that head of recruitment Gedd Glynn is being removed from his post.

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Sportsmail initially heard that he was set to be sacked, but subsequent rumours have pointed to him being re-assigned duties at the end of this season. Leicester's transfer-market activity in recent seasons has been the subject of heavy criticism.

Sportsmail understands that he's been appointed on short-term deal to assist Geordan Murphy