Former Chelsea and AS Monaco manager Claudio Ranieri has been appointed coach of the Greece national team in a two-year deal.

The 62-year old Italian replaces Fernando Santos who left the Greek coaching job upon the expiration of his contract after the 2014 World Cup.

Santos led the 2004 European champions to their first ever second round appearance at the World Cup before losing out to surprise nation Costa Rica on penalties.

Ranieri meanwhile takes up a national team job for the first time in his long coaching career, which has also seen him manage at Juventus, Valencia, AS Roma and Inter Milan among other clubs.

Ranieri left his last job at Ligue 1 club Monaco in June after two seasons in charge, leading the club to the top flight from Ligue 2 before finishing second last season and qualifying for the 2014-15 UEFA Champions League.

His immediate task with Greece is qualifying for the 2016 European Championship in France, with the Greeks drawn in Group F of the qualifying stage alongside Romania, Finland, Northern Ireland, Hungary and Faroe Island.