Hertha Berlin confirmed Thursday that Sandro Schwarz will suceed Felix Magath as head coach next season after the latter preserved their place in the elite in a relegation play-off.

Hertha beat second division side Hamburg over two legs in a relegation play-off.

"The club has been through a tough period and I'm really looking forward to turning that into something positive through hard work, fun and lots of energy," said Schwarz.

The 43-year-old returns to Germany's top flight having previously coached Mainz from 2017 to 2019.

Since 2020, he had coached Dynamo Moscow, who he guided to third in the Russian league last season and reached the Russian Cup final, where they lost to rivals Spartak Moscow last Sunday.

Schwarz replaces Magath, 68, who coached Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg to Bundesliga titles more than a decade ago.

Magath was brought in on a short-term contract as caretaker boss for just the final nine games of last season as Hertha eventually finished third from bottom in Germany's top flight.

Hertha strengthened their squad on Tuesday by signing Croatia international defender Filip Uremovic on a free transfer.