Manuel Baum has been appointed as the new Schalke head coach on a two-year deal, running until June 2022.

Baum, 41, steps into the hot-seat at the Veltins-Arena following the departure of David Wagner who had overseen a run of 18 league matches stretching back to 17 January 2020.

"In Manuel Baum, we have been able to win an absolute specialist for Schalke," said sporting director Jorg Schneider on the club's website. "If you look at his previous jobs, you will find that his teams always had clear structures and styles on the pitch. This is a very important factor in our current situation."

Baum earned his first Bundesliga head coaching job back in December 2016, stepping up from his role as a youth coach to take over from Dirk Schuster at Augsburg. The former 1860 Munich youth player was in the job at the WWK-Arena April 2019 and has since coached Germany's national U20 and U18s teams in seven matches since September 2019.

"Schalke is a terrific club with an incredible amount of tradition and sporting potential," Baum said. "Our most urgent task is to give the team a sense of achievement again as quickly as possible, in training and in the game. I am convinced of the quality of our squad."

Schalke have also announced that Naldo, who played for the club between 2016 and 2019, has re-joined the team as a member of Baum's coaching staff.

Watch: Naldo's hearstopping free-kick vs. Borussia Dortmund

Want more Bundesliga Action?

GET THE UPDATES!

Baum takes over a Schalke side on a five-game losing run in the German top-flight, sitting rock-bottom of the Bundesliga table after two weeks of the 2020/21 season.

The Royal Blues' first game under the reigns of Baum will be an away trip to RB Leipzig, with the infamous Revierderby against Borussia Dortmund to come at the end of October.

About the clubs

FC Schalke 04

VELTINS-Arena