Craig Levein appointed first team manager at Hearts

Jon Daly had been tasked with overseeing first-team affairs since the start of the season, but the club have moved to hand Levein a return to the dugout following a four-year spell earlier in his career.

The 52-year-old emerged as favourite for the role amid speculation that the former Scotland boss had a heavy influence on on-field tactics during Cathro's tenure, which ended in an abrupt departure before the start of the season after just seven months in charge.

Since then, the club have made a slow start to their Ladbrokes Premiership campaign, winning just once under Daly and losing twice, the most recent of which came in a 2-1 defeat to Motherwell on Saturday.

Daly had made no secret of his desire to take on the head coach role on a full-time basis, but it is Levein who has been handed the reins after a round of interviews.

The club announced last week that a decision would be made during the international break following the interviews, which are believed to have included Paul Hartley and Steven Pressley as well as Daly.

However, it is Levein who has been entrusted with taking the club forward following three years in position as director of football, and he has previous experience of the job having managed the club between 2000 and 2004.

In a statement, chairwoman Ann Budge said: The candidates we interviewed were, without exception, first class.

However, as the interview process progressed, it became clear to the board that the ideal candidate was already with us.

Not only does Craig satisfy all of our requirements, in terms of experience and personal attributes, he also offers continuity and stability.'

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