KILMARNOCK have appointed former Chelsea, Juventus and Italy assistant Angelo Alessio as their new manager today.

The 54-year-old, who has worked under Antonio Conte in the past, succeeds another former Chelsea assistant, Steve Clarke.

Alessio, who has signed a three year contract, will work with Clarke's former assistant Alex Dyer at Rugby Park and will start his now job on Thursday.

"It is a real honour for me to be named Kilmarnock manager," he said.

"I've spent a lot of time researching and gathering information about the club and everyone I spoke to had nothing but positive things to say about Kilmarnock.

"I can't wait to get to work with the players and staff on the training pitch and building on the strong foundations left by Steve Clarke."

Alessio played for Avellino, Bari, Cosenza and Modena as well as Juventus.

He became Conte's No.2 at Siena in 2010 before following him to Juventus - where they won three consecutive Serie A titles between 2012 to 2014 - Italy and Chelsea.

Kilmarnock director Billy Bowie said: "We were extremely impressed by the calibre of the candidates for the vacancy, but Angelo's knowledge and passion for the role really shone through.

"This is a hugely exciting period for Kilmarnock as we celebrate the club's 150th anniversary and play European football for the first time in 18 years and we're looking forward to this new chapter with Angelo at the helm."