Motherwell have announced Michael Wimmer as their new boss, following the departure of Stuart Kettlewell last month.

Wimmer, who was last at Austria Wien, is a German former midfielder who was also associated with VfB Stuttgart in recent years.

The 44-year-old will start working at the club when his work permit has been secured, and brings with him Ahmet Koc as his assistant.

Wimmer and Koc have worked together since 2013, at Nuremberg and Wien.

The appointment ends speculation that had Mitchel van der Gaag and Torsten Lieberknecht seriously linked with the job.

Chairman Kyrk Macmillan told the club's website: "This is a really exciting appointment for the club.

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"There was a robust and strenuous recruitment process that has been ongoing for the last three weeks that has demanded a lot from those involved, and I would like to thank them for their hard work.

"Having received hundreds of applications from managers across the work, Michael was the standout candidate.

"We conducted strenuous due diligence to ensure this appointment would push the club in the correct direction.

"We used a series of measurable values that indicate how effectively potential managerial candidates benchmarked in achieving specific objectives, which we believe went to the core ethos of Motherwell Football Club.

"This, combined with speaking with a number of objectives and our interviews made it very clear that not only are Michael and Ahmet driven to deliver success on the pitch, but are also individuals that share our ethos and ambition, innovation and transparency.

"We are delighted as a football club to welcome Michael and Ahmet onboard and look forward to working together."

Wimmer said: “I’m ecstatic to be joining this football club. This is a hugely exciting club whose core values align with mine.

“Speaking to the board was insightful, and it was interesting to hear their vision.

“It’s not a club standing still, and I feel Ahmet and I can really help the club move forward.

“We’re at a crucial segment of the season. There will be no settling in period. We will commit 100 per cent of our efforts to producing an exciting football team that can achieve targets.”

Stephen Frail has been caretaker manager for the last two games.