Brentford have confirmed that manager Mark Warburton will leave the club at the end of the season.

It was reported last week that the 52-year-old was on the verge of being removed from his role at Griffin Park, despite the team's strong showing in the Championship this term.

Warburton, who guided Brentford to promotion from League One last year, has the club challenging for the playoffs.

Assistant manager David Weir will also leave with Warburton in the summer, while sporting director Frank McParland has been placed on gardening leave.

The club has revealed that it wants to appoint a head coach at the end of the season who will then work with a sporting director.

"Mark and David will continue to work with the first team on a day-to-day basis through to the end of the season as Brentford push for promotion to the Premier League," read a statement on the club's official website.

"The club wish to implement these changes in time for the next transfer window that opens this summer and to best ensure a smooth transition to the new recruitment model current sporting director Frank McParland has been placed on gardening leave.

"The club want the new structure to be a long-term way of working which is independent of whoever is in the head coach role. Frank, Mark and David have decided, following long discussions with [club owner Matthew Benham] that they feel unable to work under the changed structure and approach as it differs from their football philosophy."

Benham has claimed that the decision to part company with Warburton was one of the hardest that he has had to make during his time at the club.

"I am a passionate Brentford fan and every decision I take is intended to be in the best long term interests of the club," he added. "Some of the decisions taken to date have been easy and some, like this one, have been extremely hard."

Brentford continue their Championship campaign on Saturday when they host leaders Bournemouth.