I am delighted to have joined Sunderland. I am relishing the challenge and excited by the opportunity

Sunderland AFC confirms the appointment of David Moyes as its new manager.

Moyes, 53, has signed a four-year deal at the Stadium of Light.

Speaking about the appointment, chairman Ellis Short said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome David Moyes to Sunderland, who was by far and away our first choice.

“He is a man whose football pedigree speaks for itself and is someone I have long admired. I have spoken with him on many occasions and I have always been hugely impressed.

"He was my number one managerial target for the last five appointments, but his desire to honour existing contracts meant we were not able to bring him to Sunderland previously.

"To be able to finally welcome him as our manager is fantastic news for the club.

“The fact that David has committed to a four-year deal is a clear demonstration of his belief in what he can achieve here. It is our aim to become a better, stronger and more stable football club and with a manager of David’s calibre and experience at the helm, we have a fantastic opportunity to begin looking upwards, rather than downwards every season."

David Moyes said: “I am delighted to have joined Sunderland. I am relishing the challenge and excited by the opportunity.

“I have taken over a big British club with a great support and I’m looking forward to working in the Premier League again.

“I look forward to continuing the good work done by Sam”.

The Scot boasts a wealth of experience at the top level and is a three-time LMA Manager of the Year (2002-03, 2004-05, 2008-09). He has also won 10 Manager of the Month awards in England and has managed more than 800 senior games in club football.

Moyes began his managerial career with Preston North End in 1998, going on to win the Second Division title with the club.

He moved to Everton in March 2002 and enjoyed huge success during more than 11 years at Goodison Park.

During that time, Moyes established the Toffees as a force in the upper reaches of the table as well as leading the club into Europe.

Moyes’ work at Goodison Park led to his appointment as Sir Alex Ferguson’s successor as manager of Manchester United ahead of the 2013-14 season.

He subsequently moved to Spain to join Real Sociedad in November 2014 and spent a year with the club, where his achievements included a famous 1-0 win over Barcelona.