Italy have announced Gennaro Gattuso as their new head coach.

Gianluigi Buffon revealed on Saturday that Italy were closing in on a deal with Gattuso, and a day later, the Azzurri confirmed he had taken the position.

Gattuso will be presented as Luciano Spalletti's replacement on Thursday, though Italy have not yet given any details on the 47-year-old's contract.

Spalletti confirmed he had been dismissed in a press conference last Sunday, off the back of a 3-0 defeat to Norway in World Cup qualifying, before leading Italy to a 2-0 win over Moldova.

He took charge of just 24 matches, winning half of those (D6 L6).

"Gattuso is a symbol of Italian football, the shirt is like his second skin," FIGC president Gabriele Gravina said.

"His motivations, professionalism and experience will be fundamental in taking on the next challenges of the national team. He knows the importance of our objectives, and I thank him for his readiness and dedication in accepting this challenge.

"He shares the FIGC's project of the development of our football, in which the Azzurri shirt is a central part."

Gattuso left Hajduk Split earlier this month after just one year with the Croatian side, having led them to a third-place finish in the league.

He won 20 of his 43 games in charge of the club (D14 L9), finishing with a win percentage of 46.5% – he has only bettered that at three clubs, including AC Milan (48.2%) and Napoli (56.8%).

Gattuso, who won the 2006 World Cup with Italy as a player, will be tasked with guiding the national team back to the biggest stage after they failed to qualify for the tournaments in 2018 and 2022.