Nottingham Forest have appointed Philippe Montanier as their new head coach

Nottingham Forest have appointed Frenchman Philippe Montanier as their new head coach on a two-year contract.

Montanier, 51, has previously coached French club Rennes and La Liga's Real Sociedad.

A former goalkeeper, he made over 300 appearances for clubs including Toulouse, Nantes and Saint-Etienne.

His first job in coaching was with Boulogne in 2004, and in his final season in charge he guided them to the French top flight - Ligue 1 - for the first time in their history.

He moved to Valenciennes before switching to Spain with Sociedad in 2011. They finished fourth in his first season and qualified for the Champions League.

He returned to France in 2013 to join Rennes, winning the Coupe de France final in 2014.

Montanier has signed a two-year deal

Forest sacked predecessor Dougie Freedman in March and appointed first-team coach Paul Williams as caretaker-boss until the end of the season.

Freedman, who had lost five of his last six games in charge to leave the club in 14th place in the Championship, had replaced Stuart Pearce in February 2015.

Forest fans had grown frustrated over the uncertainty surrounding Freedman's successor, prompting chairman Fawaz Al Hasawi to issue a statement reassuring them the process was in hand earlier this month.