Burton Albion Football Club

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has promised Burton Albion fans that he will help the club take the next step after being appointed as Gary Rowett’s successor.

Excited by the prospect of managing the Brewers he said: “When I was given the opportunity by the chairman I could not say no.”

A high-profile appointment for the Brewers, Hasselbaink is internationally known and celebrated for a glittering football career which included spells at Leeds United, Atletico Madrid and Chelsea. His international career with Holland included the 1998 World Cup. Throughout his career he was a proven goalscorer and was a fans’ favourite.

He will be joined at the Pirelli Stadium by an assistant with a fine footballing pedigree. David Oldfield notched up more than 500 appearances for a string of clubs including Manchester City, Leicester and Stoke. He enjoyed two spells with Luton Town, who are Albion’s next opponents at the Pirelli Stadium.

Hasselbaink said: “I’m very excited to join Burton Albion and follow in the footsteps of Gary Rowett and Nigel Clough. I can’t wait to get started and I’m delighted to be given the opportunity.

“I’m looking forward to working with the players. Until now they have done really well and I’m looking to take them a step further. I have seen quite a bit of them and I’m excited to be working with a talented group.”

Hasselbaink takes over training from today and his first game in charge will be the televised trip to high-flying Wycombe on Monday might.

His first home game will be on November 22 when Albion entertain promotion-chasing Luton Town.

He also revealed that the facilities at the Pirelli Stadium and the opportunity to train at St George’s Park were part of the attraction of the job.

He said: “I have not played myself at the Pirelli Stadium but I have coached the Nottingham Forest Under 21s at the stadium. I’m also delighted with our training facilities being at St George’s Park - they are the best in the country, which was a plus on my decision.”

Burton Albion chairman Ben Robinson was delighted with the response the club received for the manager’s job.

He said: “We had a large number of high-quality applications but Jimmy was an outstanding candidate. His football career speaks for itself and it’s a great appointment for the club.

“Jimmy and David have great records as professional footballers and have already gained some knowledge of football management. They are inspirational individuals, great coaches and this is a marvellous opportunity for them to take important steps on the managerial ladder. We are looking to them to carry on the great work started by Gary Rowett in pushing us towards promotion to League 1.

“I would like to thank MK Dons for releasing David so that he can take up this position.

“I’m sure the fans will be excited by the appointments and will be looking forward to two very important games for us away at Wycombe and home to Luton.”