Struggling Aston Villa have appointed Steve Bruce as manager, replacing the sacked Roberto Di Matteo.
The club confirmed 55-year-old takes over from Di Matteo, who was shown the door last week after just 12 games.
Bruce returns to management after quitting Hull in the summer, with Villa 19th in the Sky Bet Championship just two points above the relegation zone.
We need your consent to load this SoundCloud contentWe use SoundCloud to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content.Manage Preferences
The former Manchester United centre-half has been without a club since July, when he quit the Tigers after leading them back to the Premier League with a playoff victory over Sheffield Wednesday.
"We are delighted to announce Steve Bruce as our new manager," the club said on Twitter.
Villa appointed Di Matteo, who managed Chelsea to the Champions League, in June after their relegation from the Premier League, but sacked the Italian after just 124 days in charge.
The Midlands club dangerously close to the Championship drop-zone with 10 points from 11 games.
It will be interesting to see how Villa fans react to Bruce, given that he managed their city rivals Birmingham for six years between 2001 and 2007 and also played for the St Andrew's club.
"It's a wonderful opportunity. It is one of the big clubs of this country. To be given the opportunity to manage it is terrific," said Bruce, speaking to the club's official website.
"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."
Bruce becomes Villa's sixth manager, both caretaker and full time, since Tim Sherwood was appointed in February 2015.
His first game will be Saturday's local derby against Wolves at Villa Park with the club already 15 points behind leaders Huddersfield. Villa also go to Bruce's former club Birmingham on October 30.
