The FA have announced that the Netherlands Head Coach Sarina Wiegman will has been appointed as the new England manager.

Wiegman has signed a four-year deal and will succeed Phil Neville as his contract expires, taking charge of the Lionesses from September 2021.

The former midfielder has a remarkable career both on and off the field. Wiegman not only captained the national side, but also became the first Dutch player to become a centurion, ending her international career with 104 caps.

After two successful management terms with Dutch sides Ter Leede and ADO Den Haag, Wiegman was appointed as the assistant coach of the Netherlands national team. She was then promoted to Head Coach on a permanent basis in 2017.

Under the helm of Wiegman, the Dutch national side won the UEFA Euro’s in 2017 as the host nation, and were runners up in FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2019. Wiegman was also named Best FIFA Women’s coach in 2017.

Wiegman will remain with the ‘Oranje Lionesses’ and is focussed on leading them through their Olympic campaign next year, commenting, “the ride with the ‘Oranje Lionesses’ has been amazing so far, but we haven’t reached our final destination yet. There are two more goals: qualifying for the UEFA Women's EURO in 2022 and challenging at the Olympics next summer. That would be a fitting completion for me of everything we've strived to achieve in women’s football in my home country.”

On her appointment as the head of the English side, Wiegman added, “It’s a world class team and a world class situation I am in. We are very happy that I can be part of that, and that I can bring my experience and knowledge to the team.”

The FA’s director of women’s football, Sue Campbell, commented, “Sarina was our number one choice. She's the perfect cultural fit for us, which is crucially important in building a winning team. Her technical expertise, leadership skills and winning mentality is hugely impressive.

“I am confident that together with our incredible support staff and ambitious, talented playing squad she can help us achieve the international success we are striving for.

"Sarina will also be a great ambassador for the The FA and the women’s game in England, sharing our desire to inspire the next generation of English players, coaches, administrators and supporters.”

The Lionesses have had a successful run in major tournaments over the few years, reaching consecutive semi-finals at the World Cup, as well as the semi-finals of the 2017 Euro’s, being knocked out, ironically, by the Netherlands. Yet they have never quite managed to deliver the final product. But with Wiegman at the helm, this just might start to change.

Wiegman’s first major tournament with England will be the UEFA Euro’s 2022 which will be hosted on home turf.