Manager Tim Sherwood has left Tottenham Hotspur after six months in charge, the Premier League club said.

The 45-year-old replaced Andre Villas-Boas in December and led Spurs to sixth place in the table.

He signed an 18-month contract when he took over as manager but was widely expected to leave at the end of the season.

"We appointed Tim mid-season as someone who knew both the players and the club," chairman Daniel Levy said in a statement.

"We agreed an 18-month contract with a break clause at the end of the season and we have now exercised that option."

Sherwood, who played nearly 100 league matches in midfield for Spurs after winning the Premier League with Blackburn Rovers, rejoined the club as assistant first-team coach in 2008 and progressed through the ranks until handed his first senior management role.

Speculation had mounted in recent months that Sherwood would not last beyond this season, despite having the highest winning percentage of any Spurs manager in the Premier League era.

Frank de Boer of Ajax Amsterdam and Southampton's Mauricio Pochettino have been linked with the job.

"On behalf of the club, I should like to state our thanks for all his efforts during his years with us," Levy said.

"We wish him great success in his managerial career.

"Moving forward, now the season is over, we shall embark on the process of finding a new head coach. We have a talented squad and exciting young players coming through. We need to build on this season, develop our potential and inspire the kind of performances that we associate with our great club."