AFP - Thomas Schaaf was on Monday named as the new coach of Bundesliga strugglers Hannover, the 54-year-old former Eintracht Frankfurt boss succeeding Michael Frontzeck, who resigned last week.

"I'm aware of the scale of the task, nevertheless I'm delighted to tackle with the team the great challenge of staying up," said Schaaf with Hannover one off the bottom of the table.

The former Werder Bremen defender went on to manage Werder from 1999 to 2013. He stood down as Eintracht coach in May.

"His CV and experience speak for themselves. He's worked with success for dozens of years in the Bundesliga," said Hannover sporting director Martin Bader.