Armin Veh, the 45-year-old former Hansa Rostock manager, has been named as Giovanni Trapattoni's successor, after VfB Stuttgart sacked the veteran Italian coach.

Under Trapattoni, the ninth Bundesliga coach to be sacked this season, Stuttgart managed only five wins in 20 matches.

They have scored only 21 goals this season, none in the last three games, and Trapattoni's emphasis on defence after years of high-scoring Stuttgart teams attracted widespread criticism.

"Giovanni Trapattoni is an absolute gentleman and one of the most successful trainers in the world," said VfB president Erwin Staudt in a statement late on Thursday.

"Nevertheless, his work with the team has not been as efficient and successful as we had hoped."

Trapattoni's assistant, former German left back Andreas Brehme, who served as translator, was also fired.

Trapattoni, 66, came under pressure in December but his team won two matches before the winter break. Their main target is a top-five finish to return to the Uefa Cup next season.

They have reached the Uefa Cup's group phase and face Middlesbrough next week.

Trapattoni has had a glittering managerial career and his broken German style of speaking brought him a cult following in the country where he also coached Bayern Munich in the 1990s.

Trapattoni stepped down as Benfica coach in May after steering them to their first Portuguese championship for 11 years and joined Stuttgart a month later.

The Portuguese championship was his ninth league title in a long career with several European clubs, including six Serie A titles with Juventus. He has won three Uefa Cups, a Cup Winners' Cup and secured Juventus's first European Cup triumph in 1985.

As a defender with AC Milan Trapattoni won the European Cup in 1963 and 1969 and two Serie A titles.

His coaching career has also taken him to AC and Inter Milan, Fiorentina and Cagliari.