West Ham of England coach, Manuel Pellegrini and his wife, Carola Pucci were reportedly dispossessed of their belongings at gunpoint in the city of Santiago, the capital of Chile

The 64-year-old former Manchester City boss and his were unharmed after being targeted in the Chilean capital while driving to a restaurant with friends in the up-market suburb of Vitacura.

Reports say as their car was intercepted by the muggers, Pellegrini and his friends tried to calm the criminals down before they had weapons pointed at them.

Ms Pucci was getting out of the vehicle before she was taken unawares when her purse was snatched by one of the robbers who fired at police before escaping in a stolen Porsche Cayenne with fake number plates.

Vitacura’s police captain, Gonzalo Munoz said nearby officers quickly came to their aid, but the muggers fired at police before throwing nails in the road.

Police were able to locate the stolen vehicle in the nearby suburb of Conchali but were unsuccessful in tracking down the robbers. They also recovered a purse but could not confirm it belonged to Ms Pucci.

Pellegrini, who was newly appointed West Ham manager and will lead the side from the start of the 2018/19 Premier League season is on holiday in his native Chile.

In a tweet which he posted after the incident, Pellegrini however thanked the police for coming to his aid with their quick and courageous actions.