Darren Ferguson, son of Manchester United boss Alex, has been appointed Preston North End manager. The highly-rated 37-year-old had been a free agent since leaving Peterborough in November and succeeds Alan Irvine at Deepdale.
Irvine was sacked last week despite taking Preston to the play-offs last season. Preston are currently 16th in the standings.
Ferguson has signed a three-and-a-half-year contract and takes over with the club on a high after last weekend's 7-0 thrashing of Colchester United in the FA Cup third round.
Preston chairman Derek Shaw insisted Ferguson was the outstanding candidate for the job and backed him to embark on a successful new era at Deepdale.
“Darren immediately came under our radar when we began the search for a new manager and we are delighted to have him in place so quickly,” Shaw said.
“Darren is young, British and very ambitious. We are very confident he will prove a success here at Preston North End.”