Ex-Chelsea manager Frank Lampard returned to soccer on Thursday when he was hired to coach Coventry City in the second division.

The 46-year-old Lampard signed a 2 1/2-year contract.

Lampard would bring a “clear understanding of exactly what is needed to succeed at the very top level,” Coventry owner Doug King said.

Lampard has been out of work since June last year, the end of an interim spell in charge of Chelsea.

He previously managed the English Premier League club from 2019-21 and followed that with less than a year at Everton.

He also has experience of the second tier of English soccer, having begun his managerial career with Derby.

“Frank cut his teeth in the Championship and knows what is needed in this league to be successful,” King said.

The move to Coventry is a step down for Lampard, who was considered a rising talent when hired by Chelsea after only one season in management with Derby.

One of Chelsea’s greatest players, he was fired after a run of bad results in January 2021 and replaced by Thomas Tuchel, who went on to win the Champions League that season.

At Everton, Lampard managed to steer the club away from relegation when taking over midway through the season in 2022, but was out just under a year later with his team second from bottom of the standings.

As interim at Chelsea he managed one win in 11 games, losing eight of them.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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