Motherwell have appointed Michael Wimmer as their new manager, the German replacing Stuart Kettlewell in the Fir Park dug out.

The 44-year-old, who has named long-time assistant Ahmet Koc as his No. 2, has been out of a job since leaving Austria Vienna last May having taken the reins in January 2023.

Motherwell said Wimmer was the ‘standout’ candidate among ‘hundreds’ of applicants for the vacancy.

Chairman Kyrk Macmillan said: “We conducted strenuous due diligence to ensure this appointment would push the club in the correct direction.

“We used a series of measurable values that indicate how effectively potential managerial candidates benchmarked in achieving specific objectives, which we believe went to the core ethos of Motherwell Football Club.

‘This, combined with speaking with a number of references and our interviews, made it very clear that not only are Michael and Ahmet driven to deliver success on the pitch, but are also individuals that share our ethos of ambition, innovation and transparency.”

Wimmer said: “We’re at a crucial segment of the season, with opportunities all around us. There will be no settling-in period. We will commit 100% of our efforts to producing an exciting football team that can achieve targets.”

Wimmer’s coaching career started at Nuremberg academy in 2010. He became assistant manager at Augsburg in 2018, and was also No. 2 at Stuttgart before being appointed on an interim basis in October 2022.

Kettlewell left Motherwell last month citing personal abuse from the fans. Stevie Frail, who took over after his exit, has also left the club in the wake of Wimmer’s arrival.