Manchester City have announced Gareth Taylor as their new head coach on a three-year deal.
The 47-year-old has worked in City's academy for eight years and now succeeds former head coach Nick Cushing, who left the club in February to become Ronny Deila's assistant at New York City FC.
Taylor has led City's under-18s for the last three years, winning successive Premier League Under-18 Cup titles in 2019 and 2020.
Before the current season was ended due to the coronavirus pandemic, his team were 12 points clear at the top of the Premier League Under-18 North table and in the semi-finals of the FA Youth Cup.
"I’m absolutely delighted to have joined Manchester City Women and I’m extremely excited about the challenge ahead with a very talented group of players and staff who have enjoyed a lot of success in recent years," Taylor told the club's official website.
“I’m really honoured to have been appointed to this role and I can’t wait to get started with our preparations for another thrilling and competitive [Women's Super League] season in 2020/21.
“I’ve been very fortunate to have worked with some great people within Manchester City and the Club’s Academy so far, but I’m absolutely relishing my new role within City Football Group and I’ll be giving everything I have to continue Manchester City’s success and growth in the women’s game.”
Taylor hung up his boots back in 2011, having played professionally for 20 years. He started his career with Bristol Rovers, after leaving Southampton's youth set-up, and played for a number of Football League clubs throughout his career - including Man City, whom he spent three years with between 1998 and 2001, scoring 10 goals in 53 appearances. He was also capped 15 times by Wales.
His appointment as City's new head coach is similar to that which saw Cushing take the helm back in 2013. Cushing too had spent his coaching career to that point working within the club's academy and proved to be a very successful choice, with him winning six trophies in six years before leaving for the United States.
Taylor will not get the chance to go straight into action with his new team, with the FA having ended the WSL season earlier this week. City, who have been under the guidance of interim boss Alan Mahon since February, were top of the standings when it was announced that the league campaign would not resume - one point clear of Chelsea, who had a game in hand.
The FA have yet to make a decision on what will happen to the FA Women's Cup, which City had made it to the quarter-finals of before football was suspended.
