Official: O'Neill takes over as manager of the "Sunderland" team. © EuroFootball.com

The new coach Martin O'Neill was officially appointed on Saturday. The 59-year-old specialist signed a three-year contract and will replace the dismissed Steve Bruce in this role.

"I am happy to be back in coaching. This is a great moment in my life," said O'Neill, who has previously coached Aston Villa, Celtic, and Leicester.

"I have heard before what a great club this is, and arriving at the training ground and seeing the stadium left me astonished. Everything looks fantastic, so I hope we can achieve good results."

This season in the Premier League, Sunderland have won only twice in thirteen rounds and are currently in 16th place in the table.