Gary Bowyer has signed a two-year contract to become manager of Salford on a permanent basis.

The 49-year-old joined the Ammies on a deal until the end of the season in March and took 20 points from 11 games, narrowly missing out on a play-off place.

Bowyer was expected to return to his role as Derby’s Under-23 coach but has now been given a full-time role at the Sky Bet League Two club.

He thanked the Rams, and boss Wayne Rooney, for allowing him to take the opportunity, and told Salford’s website: “I’m really excited. It has all happened very, very quickly and I’m delighted that it has.

“I have to thank Wayne Rooney and Derby County for the role that they have played in all of this, they’ve been magnificent for me.

“Everybody was very accommodating when I was here and made a real impression on me in the short space of time, so it was a very easy decision.

“We’re really excited now leading into the summer. Obviously there is a lot of work to do in terms of organising pre-season games and getting to work on the squad.

“We’ve got a really good core group here, and we’ll be looking to add the right characters and the right players to hopefully improve the squad further and give us a real opportunity going into next season.”