Cliftonville have confirmed the appointment of Jim Magilton as manager on a full-time basis.

The 54-year-old arrives at Solitude after most recently serving as Sporting Director at League of Ireland club Dundalk. Prior to that he was Northern Ireland U21 manager and also Elite Performance Director at the Irish FA.

He began his managerial career with three years at Ipswich Town, then made the move to Dublin to serve as assistant at Shamrock Rovers ahead of a stint with the Melbourne Victory in Australia before returning to these shores.

Speaking to the official Cliftonville website, Magilton said: "It’s an honour to be appointed Manager of a great Club with such proud traditions.

"I’m very excited about the job and really looking forward to working with such a talented squad of players. A new Manager coming in will always cast a fresh pair of eyes over things, but Paddy McLaughlin did a wonderful job at Cliftonville and I want to build on the successes that he had.

"I’ve been very busy already and there are conversations to be had with players at the Club, plus some we will be looking to bring in. There’s a very tight turnaround between now and the start of the new season but I’m experienced enough to deal with that and the work has already started to make sure we’re in the best possible shape."

Magilton brings with him Gerard Lyttle as his assistant, a former Cliftonville player and boss as well as manager of Northern Ireland U17s and U19s.