Alex Neil: Millwall appoint ex-Preston, Sunderland and Stoke boss

The Lions were 11th in the Championship and had not won their last four games when Harris, who returned in February for a second stint in charge of the club, announced he would be leaving in early December.

Since then they have finished impressively in the play-offs chasing a six-game winning streak at Blackburn Rovers before losing 2-1 to Norwich on Boxing Day.

Neil takes over a mid-table club who have won just once in their last nine Championship games.

Having managed promotion to the Premier League via the play-offs with Norwich almost 10 years ago, he left the Canaries in March 2017 after they were relegated to the second tier.

Later that year he took over at Preston, where he spent four years, before the club finished 16th in the Championship that season.

He joined the Black Cats on a short contract in 2022 and won promotion from League One via the play-offs shortly after, but left to join Stoke early next season.

He has been out of charge for over a year since his 16-month stay at Stoke ended in early December 2023, with the Potters 20th in the table.

Martin Canning, who worked with Neil at Stoke and Sunderland, has also moved to south-east London as assistant head coach.

Neil compared his challenge at Millwall to his first job at Deepdale in the summer of 2017.

“The opportunity was a good one for me,” Neil said of his arrival at Millwall.

“I think it’s very similar to when I went to Preston, going to a good environment.

“It’s not like there are many problems. The team is not struggling and I have to come in and create a style of play, maybe bring in some young players, so I see it as a similar project of what I. did there.”