NEWCASTLE United have confirmed the appointment of John Carver as the club's new assistant manager.

Carver, who recently left his position as caretaker boss of Sheffield United, has been appointed until the end of the season.

The 46-year-old was previously at United under Sir Bobby Robson, and took charge of the Magpies in a caretaker capacity during a 3-0 win over Blackburn in September 2004.

Carver, who has also held the post of Academy Manager at Newcastle, joined the club as a player in 1979, but was forced to retire after a serious injury brought a premature end to his career.

Newcastle boss Alan Pardew said: "I'm delighted to be bringing John on board, he has an excellent track record as a coach and of course knows this club very well.

"It was crucial for me that I brought in an assistant who I knew would work well with the current coaching team we have here. We've got a good solid set-up with some excellent staff and maintaining that stability is very important to me. John fitted the bill perfectly.

"It's a short term deal at the moment in order that I can get to know John better and it gives us both the chance to see how the next four months pan out working together.

"That said, I'm very confident he'll be a great addition to our coaching staff and hopefully, if things go well, we can make it a longer term appointment come the summer."