Former Italian international Massimo Oddo was on Tuesday appointed coach of struggling Serie A club Udinese hours after Luigi Del Neri was fired.

The 41-year-old Oddo -- a World Cup winner with Italy in 2006 -- previously coached his hometown club Pescara to Serie A before being sacked last season.

Former Juventus and Roma coach Del Neri paid the price for Udinese having dropped to 14th in Serie A just three points above the drop zone.

"Udinese Calcio can confirm that first-team head coach Luigi Del Neri and assistant Giuseppe Ferazzoli have been relieved of their duties," the club said on Twitter.

"The club would like to thank Del Neri and Ferazzoli for their dedication over the last 13 months and wishes them all the best for the future."

Del Neri, 67, joined Udinese in October 2016 and led them to 13th place, but with four wins and eight defeats so far he was fired with another relegation battle looming.

Oddo -- a former Napoli, Lazio, AC Milan and Bayern Munich player -- is set for a baptism of fire as Udinese entertain league leaders Napoli on Sunday.