Deschamps named as Marseille boss

Deschamps has previously coached Monaco and Juventus

World Cup-winning France captain Didier Deschamps will take over as coach of Olympique Marseille next season.

The 40-year-old ex-Chelsea player, who had two spells at Marseille as a player and led them to the 1993 Champions League title, replaces Eric Gerets.

With four games of the season left Marseille are on course for their first French title since 1992.

Marseille said they had appointed a coach of "the highest standard" to continue the "great work" of Gerets.

Deschamps has enjoyed great success as both a player and a coach.

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As a player he led Marseille to the 1993 Champions League title with victory over Milan and three years later he won the trophy again with Juventus.

In addition to his two Champions League successes he won two French titles, three Italian titles and the FA Cup, with Chelsea, in his one season in English football.

On the international stage he captained France to glory in both the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000.

As a coach he took Monaco to the 2004 Champions League final and won the Serie B title with Juventus in 2006-07 after they had been demoted from the top flight following a wide-ranging investigation into match-fixing that had rocked Italian football.

With four games of the French season left Marseille lead the Ligue 1 table on goal difference from Bordeaux with Lyon, who have won the past seven titles, seven points back in third.