Blackpool have named Michael Appleton as new manager.

Neil Critchley left Blackpool to become assistant manager at Aston Villa to Steven Gerrard.

Appleton has stepped in and signed a 2026 contract, saying: "I am absolutely delighted to be here.

"To be able to come back to the club, with where the club is at during this moment in time, after two really successful seasons, I can't wait to get started.

"This club now feels like the right club at the right time.

"The fans will certainly have seen glimpses of what I tried to do in my days at Lincoln.

"I want to play aggressive, forward-thinking football and we have certain things that we want from the players when we're playing, dependent on opposition clearly.

"We just want to be exciting and get people off their seats."

Appleton returns to Bloomfield Road on the back of a three-year stint in charge at Lincoln.

The 46-year-old spent just 65 days in charge of Blackpool between November 2012 and January 2013.