Jonathan Woodgate ended his playing career with Middlesbrough, making his final appearance in August 2015
Middlesbrough have named Jonathan Woodgate as their new head coach on a three-year deal.
The former England defender, 39, was part of the coaching set-up under previous boss Tony Pulis but has never been a manager before.
Pulis left in May after Boro failed to reach the Championship play-offs.
Woodgate will be assisted by former Leeds and Tottenham team-mate Robbie Keane at the Riverside as well as Leo Percovich and Danny Coyne.
Woodgate made 112 appearances for Middlesbrough in two spells with his home-town club.
The former Leeds, Newcastle, Real Madrid and Tottenham centre-half was in the Boro squad that won promotion to the Premier League in 2015-16 during his second spell.
"Jonathan's vision is very much aligned to our own for the club as we look to develop a new identity," a club statement said.
Boro revealed there was "huge interest" in the job after Pulis' departure, with a number of candidates both in the UK and abroad interviewed.
"It was during this procedure that it became clear Jonathan was the outstanding candidate to head up the new structure," the club added.
"His staff bring a wealth of experience and knowledge."
Republic of Ireland assistant Keane is joined by former Boro coach Percovich and former player Coyne, who will be goalkeeping coach.
Capped eight times by England, Woodgate's playing career included a £13.4m move from Newcastle United to Real Madrid in August 2004.
But injuries hampered his time at the Bernabeu at a time when David Beckham, Raul, Brazilian Ronaldo and Guti were also playing for Real.
He had a spell as a scout working for Liverpool in Spain before returning to Boro in March 2017 to join the coaching staff under interim manager Steve Agnew.
Boro finished seventh in the Championship last season, missing out on the play-offs by a point after a run of six successive defeats in March and April.
Source: bbc.com