Freund gets Tottenham role

Confirmation of the appointment came from the club shortly before Villas-Boas was due to give his first press conference since taking over from Harry Redknapp.

"We are delighted to announce the appointment of former player Steffen Freund as our new Assistant Head Coach," a club statement read.

"Steffen became a popular figure amongst our supporters after joining the club in 1998 from Borussia Dortmund, spending five years at White Hart Lane and was part of our League Cup winning side of 1999.

"He made a total of 120 appearances in our colours and has since been inducted into the club's Hall of Fame."

Freund has coaching experience at international level, having led German youth teams at Under-16 , Under-17 and Under-20 level, and working as an assistant to Berti Vogts with Nigeria.