Derby County have appointed former Real Madrid assistant Paul Clement as their new head coach on a three-year deal.

He replaces Steve McClaren, who was sacked last month after the club finished eighth in the Championship.

It is the first managerial role for Englishman Clement, 43, who left the La Liga side following the sacking of manager Carlo Ancelotti.

"Paul is one of the most in-demand coaches in world football," said Rams chief executive Sam Rush.

"I am delighted that he has agreed to join Derby. He is hugely respected, has exceptional relationships throughout football and tremendous coaching experience at some of the very best clubs in Europe."

Clement described joining Derby as "incredibly exciting" and is looking forward to working at a "massive club".

The Londoner began his coaching career with Chelsea in the 1990s and returned to the club in 2007.

He started working with the first team under Guus Hiddink in 2009 and then became a key figure working with Ancelotti at Chelsea, Paris St-Germain and Real.

Clement has worked with some of the biggest names in world football including Didier Drogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Rush added: "He is the perfect appointment at the next stage of Derby County's development and we are looking forward to the coming season with a great deal of optimism."

Derby were leading the Championship in late February but won only two out of their last 13 league games, missing out on a play-off place on the final day of the season.