Paul Lambert appointed Stoke manager

Lambert's last managerial job was at Wolverhampton Wanderers and he left the club in May 2017

Stoke City have appointed former Aston Villa and Norwich boss Paul Lambert as manager.

The 48-year-old Scot has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract after Mark Hughes was dismissed this month.

Stoke are 18th in the Premier League table, a point away from safety, and were knocked out of the FA Cup by League Two side Coventry City.

Lambert will watch Monday's match at Manchester United (20:00 GMT) from the stands and will take over on Tuesday.

His first match in charge will be Saturday's home game against fellow strugglers Huddersfield.

Lambert has been out of work since leaving Wolves at the end of last season.

He also had spells in charge of Colchester, Wycombe Wanderers and Blackburn.

As a player, he won the Champions League with Borussia Dortmund in 1997 and claimed four Scottish titles with Celtic, as well as earning 40 Scotland caps.

His appointment comes after Stoke failed to land any of their top three targets.

On Sunday, Republic of Ireland manager Martin O'Neill rejected the chance to take over at the bet365 Stadium, after Gary Rowett signed a new contract at Derby County and former Watford boss Quique Sanchez Flores decided to remain with La Liga side Espanyol.

Stoke chairman Peter Coates said: "Paul greatly impressed us with his knowledge of our squad and had a clear plan of how he would improve our results.

"He's a man who backed himself as a player, none more so than when he turned down contract offers in Scotland to go on trial in the German Bundesliga with Borussia Dortmund, and it's obvious he adopts the same approach as a manager."

Vice-chairman John Coates added: "Paul has been successful in management at clubs with a strong and stable background and with local ownership - the kind of foundation we are able to give to our managers.

"We were determined to appoint someone with Premier League experience or an extensive knowledge of English football."