Craig Levein appointed new head coach of Hearts

Hearts have appointed Craig Levein head coach until the end of the season. Levein has been director of football at Tynecastle for three years but has been persuaded to return to the dugout four weeks after Ian Cathro was sacked.

The Hearts owner Ann Budge was determined to replace Cathro with an experienced figurehead and, after speaking to Steven Pressley, Paul Hartley and Billy Davies, she has gone for 52-year-old Levein. His director of football position is likely to be made redundant as part of the reshuffle.

Jon Daly, the club’s Under-20 coach, had been interim head coach since Cathro’s exit. He took charge for the first four matches of the Premiership campaign against Celtic, Kilmarnock, Rangers and Motherwell. After two defeats, a win and a draw, he now reverts back to his youth role.

The change of title takes Levein back into a job he occupied for four years between 2000 and 2004. As Hearts manager, he guided them to successive third-place finishes in Scotland’s top flight in 2003 and 2004, and took them into the UEFA Cup group stages.

The 52-year-old left for Leicester City in October 2004 and later managed Dundee United and Scotland. Budge appointed him director of football when she took charge at Tynecastle in May 2014.

The first game of his second spell in charge of Hearts will be on Septmber 9, when Hearts host Aberdeen at Murrayfield.