Soccer-Senol Gunes agrees four-year deal as Turkey coach

Senol Gunes has agreed a four-year contract to coach the Turkish national team, the Turkish Football Federation said on Thursday, returning to the job he held 15 years ago. He will replace Romanian Mircea Lucescu, under whose guidance Turkey were relegated to League C in the UEFA Nations League after finishing bottom of their group.

Gunes will take up his role on June 1 and will lead the team into qualifying for the 2020 European Championship and 2022 World Cup, the federation said in a statement on its website. Gunes was Turkey coach from 2002-04 when they finished third at the 2002 World Cup. Local media reported that he would stay as Besiktas coach until at least the end of this season.

The 66-year-old has won the Turkish league twice with Besiktas and previously coached Trabzonspor and Bursaspor. (Reporting by Daren Butler Editing by Ece Toksabay, editing by Ed Osmond)