Oxford United have appointed former first-team coach Des Buckingham as their new boss.

Buckingham succeeds Liam Manning in the dugout after he left his position to join Championship side Bristol City.

The 38-year-old, who previously held roles at Stoke and Wellington Phoenix among others, has left his role at Indian Super League side Mumbai City to return to England.

Buckingham played for Oxford at youth level and joined the coaching staff aged 18, working his way up to first-team coach under Chris Wilder.

Chairman Grant Ferguson told the club website: “I couldn’t be happier that Des has agreed to become our new head coach.

"His approach to coaching and developing players is a perfect match for the vision we have for the club.”

Head of recruitment Ed Waldron added: “Des is someone we’ve been monitoring for a while. He’s young, highly regarded and already has a wealth of coaching experience.

“His attacking style of play and philosophy suits the squad we are building and will help this outstanding group of players continue their excellent start to the season.”

The U’s are currently second in the League One table, only above Wanderers on goal difference at this stage, following a strong start to the campaign.

Interim boss Craig Short led the side to a 3-2 victory at Leyton Orient last weekend thanks to Billy Bodin and a Ruben Rodrigues brace. He also oversaw a 5-0 win against Chelsea Under-21s in the EFL Trophy.

Like Bolton, Oxford have no League One fixture this weekend. They were due to host leaders Portsmouth but that fixture was postponed due to international call-ups.

Chief executive Tim Williams said: "There was a huge amount of interest in the role but, from the moment we met Des, he became our number one choice.

“We had a very clearly defined set of criteria to ensure we found the right cultural fit for Oxford United.

"Des knows the club and city already, understands what we are trying to achieve, and we feel is the right person to build on the club’s progress to date.”