Former Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa has been named the new head coach of the Uruguay national team through to 2026, the federation announced on Monday.
Bielsa – who has been without a club since he was dismissed at the Elland Road club in February 2022- takes over from Diego Alonso, who resigned from the job after Uruguay’s group-stage exit at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Bielsa joined Leeds in 2018 and is still admired by the club’s fans for overseeing their return to the Premier League after a 16-year absence.
The 67-year-old Argentine previously held talks with both Bournemouth and Everton in recent months as they looked to fill their then-vacant managerial positions.
Before moving to the Premier League, he managed in France, Italy, Spain and Argentina, as well as taking charge of Chile for four years between 2007 and 2011.
Uruguay who are 16th in Fifa’s world rankings begin their qualifying campaign for the World Cup at home to Chile in September.
An expanded 48-team tournament set to take place in the United States, Canada and Mexico, will see six South America teams qualify automatically for the finals with a seventh entering a playoff.