Aston Villa have announced the appointment of former Bayer Leverkusen manager Robert de Pauw as the club's new head coach.

The Women's Super League (WSL) club have been without a manager since Carla Ward stepped down from her role at the end of the season.

Villa considered Icelandic coach Elisabet Gunnarsdottir as a replacement for Ward but eventually decided on De Pauw.

The Dutchman, 42, spent two seasons at Leverkusen and left at the end of the 2023-24 campaign.

Villa's head of women’s football, Lee Billiard, said: “After an extremely methodical and extensive managerial search, we are delighted to welcome Robert to Aston Villa Football Club.

“The process we used in order to find the best fit for the managerial position took some time and included a thorough search of the best leagues in women’s football.”

Villa were seventh in the WSL last season after finishing in a club-record high of fifth place in 2022-23.