Christian Heidel has announced he is stepping down from his role as Schalke's sporting director as the club remains mired in difficult 2018-19 campaign.
Heidel's contract was set to expire in 2020 but he will instead leave the Bundesliga club at the end of the season at the latest.
Schalke qualified for the Champions League last term, with Domenico Tedesco's side reaching the last 16 but losing the first leg 3-2 at home to Manchester City.
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But results in the Bundesliga have been poor with the club 14th in the table after Saturday's 3-0 loss at Heidel's former club Mainz.