Andre Breitenreiter has been confirmed as the new head coach of Schalke 04, the German Bundesliga club announced on Friday.

Breitenreiter arrives on a two-year deal to replace Roberto Di Matteo, who resigned late last month after the Royal Blues finished an underwhelming sixth in the Bundesliga.

"We are very happy to have found the right head coach for FC Schalke 04 in the form of Andre Breitenreiter," Schalke sporting director Horst Heldt told the club's website.

"After Roberto Di Matteo's departure, I emphasised what I expect from a new coach: Attractive and passionate attacking football and a team spirit that enthuses our own fans."

The 41-year-old, who played for the likes of Hannover, Hamburg and Wolfsburg in the 1990s, arrives from Paderborn, the unfashionable club who he led to promotion to the top flight a year ago but could not keep in the Bundesliga in the season just finished.

Di Matteo had only been appointed last October but failed to achieve his primary objective of securing Champions League qualification for the Gelsenkirchen club.

Belgium coach Marc Wilmots, a former Schalke player, had been among the names linked with the vacant post.