Rafael Benitez appointed new Chelsea coach

The 52-year-old takes charge of the European champions on an interim basis until the end of the current campaign after spending almost two years out of work following his dismissal at Inter.A statement on the club's official website read: "The owner and the Board believe that in Benitez we have a manager with significant experience at the highest level of football, who can come in and immediately help deliver our objectives.

"The 52-year-old Spaniard is due to meet the players at the training ground in Cobham today [Thursday]."