Scotland hires McLeish with Euro 2020 qualification target

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GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) Alex McLeish has been appointed Scotland manager for a second time, tasked with qualifying for the 2020 European Championship.

The appointment of the former Rangers, Aston Villa and Birmingham coach concludes the drawn-out process to find Gordon Strachan's successor after failing to convince Michael O'Neill to leave the Northern Ireland job.

The 59-year-old McLeish, who had a 10-game stint in charge of Scotland in 2007, has been out of management since leaving Egyptian club Zamalek two years ago.

Scotland has not qualified for a major tournament since the 1998 World Cup. Its next games are friendlies against Costa Rica and Hungary.

Hampden Park in Glasgow will stage three group-stage games and one last 16 match at the 12-city Euro 2020 but there are no automatic places for host nations.