Alex Neil will take charge of Sunderland's game at AFC Wimbledon tomorrow after his appointment as head coach was confirmed by the club this evening.
The 40-year-old has signed a rolling 12-month contract with the club, and will be joined on Wearside by assistant head coach Martin Canning, who was a former teammate of Neil's at Hamilton Academical and also played under him there.
Neil agreed terms with the Black Cats on Thursday and took training at the Academy of Light on Friday morning, before travelling with the squad by train to London - with an image of the new boss wearing a club tracksuit circulating widely on social media during the afternoon.
READ MORE: Seven pressing problems Alex Neil must address as Sunderland's new head coach
There was a long wait for confirmation of his appointment from the club, but eventually it arrived at just after 8.40pm.
Neil said: "It is a privilege to be head coach of Sunderland AFC.
"Everything that I saw from the players this morning made me really confident and gave me belief, so what we now need to do is replicate that on a matchday – when it matters – under scrutiny and under pressure.
"Our task is to try and win as many games as we possibly can and at this moment in time we are focused on this season and this season alone."
Sporting director Kristjaan Speakman added: "“Throughout his career, Alex has demonstrated that he can make an immediate and lasting impact.
"He expressed a clear vision on how he wants to take the team forward, which strongly aligns with our core principals, and we firmly believe that he can influence performances and results in the short term.
"We are grateful to our supporters for their patience throughout what has undoubtedly been a challenging period and thank Mike Dodds and Michael Proctor for overseeing our first-team programme in the interim.
"Now, our immediate priority is to support Alex and the team to ensure we deliver promotion this season and reward the faith continuously placed in us by our supporters."
Neil has been out of work since losing his job at Deepdale last year, but previously guided the Canaries to the Premier League after a playoff final victory over Middlesbrough in 2015.
Odds on the Scottish former midfielder taking charge on Wearside were slashed on Thursday following the news that the club's number one target Roy Keane was ruled out of contention.
Neil and ex-Hull City boss Grant McCann were the early frontrunners for the vacant post, but it is Neil who has been tasked with reviving the Black Cats' faltering bid for promotion at the fourth time of asking.
He takes charge with the club sitting fourth in the table having lost three games in a row, with his predecessor Lee Johnson sacked following a 6-0 defeat at Bolton, and interim bosses Dodds and Proctor overseeing a home defeat against basement side Doncaster Rovers and the midweek defeat at Cheltenham Town.
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