Middlesbrough favourite George Boateng joins Championship rival's coaching team

George Boateng has been appointed as first-team coach at Middlesbrough's Championship rivals Coventry City.

The Boro favourite, who made over 200 appearances on Teesside in a six-year spell that saw him help the club win their first major trophy and reach the UEFA Cup final, has been appointed to Mark Robins' backroom team at the CBS Arena. It comes after Robins' long-time assistant Adi Viveash departs.

Boateng joins along with former Wolves coach Rhys Carr having most recently served as assistant manager of the Ghana National Team. It's a return to the Sky Blues for the 48-year-old who spent 18 months with Coventry in his first move to England from Feyenoord. He then joined Aston Villa from who Boro signed him in 2002.

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Since retiring in 2013, Boateng has been developing as a coach, working in the academies of Villa and Blackburn Rovers before taking the role with Ghana - the country of his birth. Robins is hoping the he can use his experience in the game to help continue Coventry's growth in recent years.

Robins told the club website: “We are very pleased to welcome George and Rhys to Coventry City. They both impressed us during the extensive recruitment process for this important role and each bring key skills to the football department.

“Their experience and knowledge will greatly aid our work to maximise the performance and preparation of our team, both in advance of, and on matchdays, and we are excited to begin working with them.”

Performance director Claire-Marie Roberts added: “George & Rhys were consistently the strongest candidates throughout our extensive selection process. Their respective skills will bring a new dimension to our experienced multi-disciplinary team as we work to continually enhance the development and preparation of our first-team players.”