Leicester City have hired Manchester City assistant coach Enzo Maresca as their new manager as the Foxes look to bounce back to the Premier League.

Maresca moves to the King Power Stadium from City, where he was a member of Pep Guardiola’s coaching staff.

The 43-year-old Italian has signed a contract that lasts until 2026 and replaces interim manager Dean Smith.

Smith was put in charge of the last eight games of the season after Brendan Rodgers left. However, he was not able to keep Leicester from going down to the Championship.

“I’m very excited because of the club and because we have a big season ahead of us,” Maresca said.

“At the beginning, the target is to play in the best way we can. From there, we can build, day by day, our idea and our philosophy, and the most important thing is to try to win games.”

Leicester chairman Aiyawatt Srivaddhanaprabha added: “Enzo brings a combination of personality, method and ambition that meets extremely well with the footballing direction we are looking to take.

“His philosophy has been built over a rich and varied career, including an outstanding education as a coach, and fits with the vision we have for this next chapter in Leicester City’s history.”

Maresca was a midfielder for Juventus, West Bromwich Albion, and Sevilla. He also worked as an assistant coach at West Ham under Manuel Pellegrini. He came back to City for a second time last year.

He had been in charge of City’s top development team for the 2020-21 season before leaving to lead Parma for a short time.

Leicester will play in the Championship for the first time since 2013-14. They were sent down after a painful relegation that happened seven years after their amazing season in which they won the Premier League and two years after they won the FA Cup.