Defending Argentine champion Estudiantes has hired Eduardo Berizzo as coach to replace Alejandro Sabella, who surprised the club by resigning last week with the Clausura season set to open.
Estudiantes announced the appointment on Monday and said Berizzo would hold his first practice on Tuesday.
"After a long meeting that ended early in the morning on Monday, the management of Estudiantes headed by president Ruben Filipas closed a deal for Manuel Eduardo Berizzo to become the coach of the senior team," the club said in a statement.
Berrizo played in Argentina for Newell's Old Boys and River Plate, as well as with several clubs in Europe including Spain's Celta Vigo. He will have little time to prepare Estudiantes for its first match of the new season, against Newell's Old Boys on Friday.
He will be reunited at Estudiantes with midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron, who played alongside Berizzo for Argentina's national team.
Berizzo most recently served as an assistant to Marcelo Bielsa with Chile, which reached the second round of the World Cup in South Africa before losing to Brazil.
Sabella, who also led Estudiantes to the 2009 Copa Libertadores title, stepped down because he said management had failed to bolster the club with offseason signings.
