Schalke have announced the appointment of Kees van Wonderen as their new head coach following the departure of Karel Geraerts.

Van Wonderen joins The Royal-Blues on a two-year contract, which will keep him at the club until 2026. The 55-year-old, a five-time Netherlands international as a player, has been involved in coaching since 2006.

Following numerous spells as assistant coach, he was given the top job with the Netherlands' U18 squad in 2015 and has since also coached the U17s, as well as Go Ahead Eagles and Heerenveen in the Dutch Eredivisie.

His appointment brings an end to the interim tenure of Jakub Fimpel, the U23 coach who had been in charge of the senior side for the previous two weeks. Upon the appointment, chairman Matthias Tillmann said, "I am now pleased that in the shape of Kees van Wonderen we were able to sign a head coach that fully fits our strategy: developing young players without losing sight of the importance of short-term success."

"The weeks up until the winter break are of huge importance to the course of the rest of the season. We will do everything to support Kees and his team as best as possible."

After the first eight games of the Bundesliga 2 campaign, Schalke find themselves 13th in the table having won just two matches. Van Wonderen will take charge of his first training session on Monday, with his first fixture in charge coming away at Hannover after the international break.

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