BERLIN, Jan 28 — Relegation-threatened Hanover 96 have parted ways with coach Andre Breitenreiter, appointing Thomas Doll as his successor in a bid to rescue their season, the club said.

Hanover lost 5-1 to Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund on Saturday — their third league loss in a row — to stay anchored in 17th place, level on 11 points with bottom club Nuremberg.

The 45-year-old Breitenreiter took over in March 2017, helping them win promotion to the Bundesliga the same season.

His successor, Doll, signed a contract until June 2020, valid in both the Bundesliga and the second division, the club said in a statement.

"Thomas Doll has always prove wherever he worked that he can reach targets, whether to stay up or fight for the title or European spots,” Hanover sports director Horst Heldt said. "He knows the Bundesliga inside out.”

The 52-year-old former Germany international, who in the past also coached Hamburg SV and Borussia Dortmund in the Bundesliga, has in recent years coached in Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Hungary. — Reuters