MILAN, July 31 — Juventus have appointed their former World Cup-winning midfielder Andrea Pirlo as coach of the Under-23 side, the Serie A champions said.

Pirlo, widely regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of his generation, spent a decade at AC Milan before making the switch to Juventus, where he won four league titles and an Italian Cup during a four-year spell.

He left Juventus in 2015 and ended his playing career with Major League Soccer club New York City.

"Today marks the start of a new adventure for Andrea Pirlo and Juventus, who return to work together five years later. Andrea is ... the new coach of the Under-23 team,” Juventus said in a statement on Thursday.

"A new challenge awaits now, for a return that can only make Juventus fans happy. Welcome back, Coach Pirlo!”

Pirlo won 116 caps for Italy and helped them to World Cup success in 2006. — Reuters