Notts County have appointed Ian Burchnall as their new head coach.

The 38-year-old replaces Neal Ardley after he was sacked by the Magpies on Wednesday.

It is Burchnall’s first managerial role in England, having previously been in charge of Viking FK in Norway and Ostersund, where he replaced Graham Potter, in Sweden.

He left Ostersund last year and narrowly missed out on becoming Iceland’s new boss in December, while he was also in the running for the AFC Wimbledon job last month.

The Magpies are sixth in the National League and face Hornchurch in the FA Trophy semi final on Saturday.

Owners Chris and Alex Reedtz said in a statement: “We are tremendously excited to welcome Ian to the role of head coach.

“As part of our ongoing extensive research, we compile detailed profiles of many different coaches and Ian stands out as an outstanding prospect.

“Despite his young age, he has tremendous experience of working in top-flight football and has been linked with several international and club roles since his departure from Ostersund.

“We feel very lucky to have him and have every confidence that he is the right man to complement our model.

“It’s our hope that Ian will be able to continue our push for promotion this season, but we understand it will take him time to fully implement our philosophy.

“He is a long-term appointment for this club and his performance in the role will be judged on that basis.”