Aston Villa have named former Hull City and Birmingham City boss Steve Bruce as their new manager.
Former Manchester United captain Bruce, 55, who left Hull in July, succeeds Roberto di Matteo, who was sacked on 3 October, at Villa Park.
Bruce, who has lived in the Midlands since first joining Birmingham as a player in 1996, takes over with Villa 19th in the Championship table.
His first game in charge is at home to local rivals Wolves on Saturday.
Bruce will become the sixth man to pick the Villa team inside the last 12 months.
He then has matches against Reading and Fulham before returning to St Andrew’s for the Blues-Villa derby on Sunday, 30 October in only his second away match.
“It is one of the big clubs of this country,” said Bruce. “To be given the opportunity to manage it is terrific.
“I relish the challenge of trying to take the club where it wants to go and needs to be – and try to turn around the misfortune we seem to have had over the past few years.”
Villa will begin life under Bruce 10 points behind Birmingham, the team occupying the last of the four play-off places in sixth.
Source: BBC Sports
