FORMER England star Kevin Phillips has been appointed manager of AFC Fylde.
The 51-year-old returns to the dugout after leaving fellow National League side Hartlepool back in April.
Phillips was supposedly offered a new two-year contract by the club – but he left after it was later withdrawn.
But the ex-striker is now back in management with AFC Fylde, with chairman David Haythornthwaite saying: “The search for the new manager has taken maybe a bit longer than people expected but this is reflective of the interest we had received in the position.
“Kevin was presented to us at an early stage and was invited with several others to Mill Farm for a lengthy interview and after that, was the clear favourite.”
The fifth tier club has been on the lookout for a new boss after sacking Chris Beech in September.
They have played the last five games with former Aston Villa wonderkid Nathan Delfouneso and ex-goalkeeper Chris Neal in co-caretaker charge.
AFC Fylde are currently 21st in the table.
Phillips‘ first game is an FA Cup tie against Rochdale on Saturday.
In his playing days, he represented Watford, Sunderland, Southampton, Aston Villa, West Brom, Birmingham, Blackpool, Crystal Palace and Leicester.
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And while on the books of the Black Cats in 2000, he won the Premier League Golden Boot with 30 goals in 36 games.
Phillips was also crowned the Player of the Year that season and earned eight England caps in total.
Since retiring in 2014, he has worked as a coach at Leicester, Derby and Stoke.
