We are delighted to announce the appointment of Garry Monk as the new Leeds United head coach.

Monk, the former manager of Premier League side Swansea City, penned a one-year rolling contract at Elland Road on Thursday morning and will now begin first-team preparations for the 2016/17 season.

The 37-year-old, who played in all four of English football’s professional divisions during his time at the Liberty Stadium, arrives in West Yorkshire with a reputation as one of Britain’s brightest young coaches.

Monk told leedsunited.com : “It feels great to be here. I’m extremely honoured to join Leeds United Football Club – we all know the history of the club and the standing it has in English football.

“I feel really honoured to be here and I’m really looking forward to the challenge ahead.

“The passion of the fans, the history and the ambition of the owner all ties in with what I wanted to do.

“I want to be challenged and really get my teeth into a big project. That was the underlying factor throughout the whole process and that’s the reason why I’m here today.

“This is definitely the right challenge for me and I’m really happy to be here.”

United chairman Massimo Cellino added: “I’m very pleased to welcome Garry Monk to Leeds United.

“Garry is part of a new generation of coaches in England and has a lot of potential to develop, which is something we were targeting for the new season.

“I believe he’s very suited to continuing the growth of our young and improving team. He will bring new strengths and a lot of energy to the squad.

“He was a fighter as a player and now he’s the same as a manager - as we saw when he did very well at Swansea City. I feel he can really bring the best out of the team.

“It is a big challenge but Garry is very determined and he trusts himself with this job – he really wanted to come here. That is something which has impressed me a lot.

“We have chosen to take on the challenge together and we are focused on achieving our goals in the new season.”

A centre-back throughout his playing days, Monk captained the Swans during their rise from League Two to the Premier League and lifted the Capital One Cup at Wembley along the way.

The Bedford-born defender made his first foray into management in February 2014, stepping in as interim player-manager for the remainder of the Premier League campaign and successfully securing the Swans’ top-flight status.

Such was his impact in charge, Swansea were prompted into giving Monk the job on a permanent basis and secured his services on a three-year deal ahead of his 11th season of association with the Welsh club.

Monk, August 2014’s Premier League Manager of the Month, then guided the Swans to a highest-ever finish of eighth place and a record points total of 56 in his first full season as manager.

He was rewarded with another three-year deal last summer and his Swansea side made an encouraging start to the 2015/16 campaign, only for a dip in form heading towards the winter months to result in his departure from the Liberty Stadium last December.