Juventus have announced that Andrea Pirlo is their new manager following the sacking of Maurizio Sarri on Saturday.
The former midfielder was only appointed manager of Juventus' under-23s side at the end of July but he has instead taken the top job at the club. He has signed a two-year contract until June 2022.
Pirlo spent four years of his playing career at Juventus, where he won five major honours including four Serie A titles, before leaving for New York City in 2015. He was a part of Italy's 2006 World Cup winning squad.
It is reported that Pirlo was chosen by Juventus club president Andrea Agnelli, who he had a close working relationship with during his time as a player at the club.
The news comes despite the fact he has no managerial experience. Former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino was the favourite for the job before the news of Pirlo's imminent appointment broke.
In a statement, Juventus said: "Today's choice is based on the belief that Pirlo has what it takes to lead, from his debut on the bench, an expert and talented squad to pursue new successes."
Former Chelsea boss Sarri, 61, had led Juventus to the Serie A title in his first season at the club but the away goals exit to Lyon in the Champions League on Friday night proved the final straw.
A club statement read: "Juventus announce that Maurizio Sarri has been relieved of his post as coach of the first team.
"The club would like to thank the coach for writing a new page in Juventus history by winning a ninth consecutive Scudetto, the culmination of a personal journey that saw him move through every level of Italian football."
Cristiano Ronaldo scored twice against Lyon but Memphis Depay's penalty was crucial to lead the French side to a surprise victory. Juve lost four of the 12 matches since the restart before their exit from Europe.
Following his sacking by Chelsea at the end of the 2018-19 season, former banker Sarri succeeded Massimiliano Allegri in Turin and opened his reign with a 14-game unbeaten run in Serie A, a campaign which featured stronger challenges from Inter Milan and Lazio.
It was to the latter club that Juve first lost in the league last December, allowing the Roman club and Inter into the title race. When domestic football resumed in June after the coronavirus shutdown, Juve's poor form saw them struggle to beat Antonio Conte's Inter to the Scudetto by a single point.
