Leeds United Name New Head Coach
24 September 2014, 06:35 | Updated: 24 September 2014, 06:38
Darko Milanic has been confirmed the new head coach at Leeds.
The 46-year-old Slovenian, who quit as head coach of Sturm Graz on Sunday, has signed a two-year contract with the Sky Bet Championship side.
He will be joined at the club by Serbian Novica Nikcevic, his assistant at the Austrian side. Caretaker boss Neil Redfearn reverts to his role of Academy manager and head of coaching after overseeing three wins and a draw.
Earlier on Tuesday, Leeds owner Massimo Cellino - who sacked David Hockaday and assistant Junior Lewis last month after only six games in charge - told Sky Sports News:
'He's just arrived today. We've been waiting for him about 15 days.
'I don't know (why I've chosen him). The coaches are like watermelons. You find out about them when you open them.
'His particular qualities? He's good looking, what can I tell you?
'He was a very good counter-attacking defender with Partizan Belgrade and Sturm Graz, and a good coach with Maribor for four years and took the club to the Champions League and Europa League, and he made it good as player and coach and he likes the Premier League.
'He gave up his place in the Premier League in Austria to come to the Championship with Leeds, and we hope that the club in Leeds is a good chance for him to have a good team and an important club to run, so he can make us proud.
'He does not talk much and is very pragmatic. I like him. He is a very cool guy.'
Sturm Graz announced on Sunday that Milanic had left his post after activating a buy-out clause in his contract. He took charge of his final game for the Austrian club on Saturday.
Milanic captained Slovenia at Euro 2000 and after turning to management guided Maribor to four Slovenian league titles and three Slovenian Cup wins.
He joined Sturm Graz as head coach on a three-year contract in June 2013, steering the club to a fifth-placed finish in 2013-14.
Cellino asked Redfearn to look after first-team affairs following Hockaday's departure.
He was ruled out of the running for the job on a permanent basis by Cellino last weekend - but is expected to be closely consulted by Milanic on first-team team matters during the early weeks.
Cellino had initially wanted to replace Hockaday with former Brighton boss Oscar Garcia, who opted instead for Watford, and held talks with former West Brom manager Steve Clarke and, it is understood, with Preston's Simon Grayson, who was sacked after just over three years in charge of Leeds in 2012.