Gareth Southgate has been appointed the new head coach of the England Under-21 team on a three-year contract.

Southgate succeeds Stuart Pearce, whose contract was not renewed by the Football Association following a disappointing European Championships campaign in June.

Southgate said: “I’m delighted to get this role and extremely excited about the prospect of working with the best and brightest young players in the country.

“I’m a proud Englishman and playing for my country was the pinnacle of my playing career.

“Since retiring as a player I have gained a lot of knowledge and experience of the game both here and abroad, and I’m eager to play my part in preparing players to compete at the highest level.

“Whenever any team steps onto the pitch for England, being successful is of huge importance, but it is also about developing a clear style of play that can allow our talented young players to flourish.”

Southgate’s first task will be preparing a squad for the 2015 European Under-21 Championship in the Czech Republic, with the first qualifier against Moldova taking place in Reading on September 5 before a trip to Finland four days later.

The former Middlesbrough manager will report to the FA’s director of elite development, Dan Ashworth.

Southgate was himself the FA’s head of elite development between February 2011 and July 2012 and had been earmarked as its technical director before deciding against taking up the post.

He had to apply for the Under-21 role however – the FA initially interviewed 10 candidates.

Southgate will also oversee the coaches with responsibility for the Under-20s through to the Under-16s, support the FA’s contribution to EPPP (Elite Player Performance Plan) through regular club visits, and help develop the FA’s tournament strategy.