Jim McGuinness has shocked many by being appointed as new head coach of Charlotte Independence, a second tier American club.

The 46-year-old spent around five years with Celtic under both Ronny Delia and Brendan Rodgers. Jim was influential behind the scenes but he decided to move on from the club and headed for China last year.

He has now been given a big opportunity to coach his won team and will be looking to build his reputation in the game over the coming years.

Speaking about the move Jim said:

“I am very excited about the prospect of taking up the head coach role at the Charlotte Independence and am both proud and grateful to the club for having put its faith in me,” McGuiness told RTE.ie.

“I knew from early on in our discussions that the club and I shared a vision for what we want to achieve and now it’s about everybody involved working hard to make that happen.

“I have learned a great deal already about the USL and firmly believe we can be really competitive in the USL Championship in 2019.  It’s an exciting time for the game in the United States which is growing all the time and I believe the Charlotte Independence will have a major influence in the years to come.”

Not many people will be familiar with Jim’s new side but Charlotte Independence play in the Eastern Conference of the USL Championship, North America’s largest professional football (or soccer) organisation.

We wish him all the best.