Guangzhou R&F have appointed Giovanni van Bronckhorst as their new head coach to replace sacked Dragan Stojkovic, the Chinese Super League (CSL) club said on Saturday morning.

The Dutch legend took his first coaching steps at Feyenoord and left the Holland giants at the end of last season after four fruitful years, during which he won two KNVB Cup and made history by clinching the club's first Eredivise title in 18 years. 

He then made a surprising move to the City Football Group, owner of reigning Premier League champions Manchester City and was given a role behind the scenes to get an experience of how Pep Guardiola's City ran their business.

Now the 44-year-old has traveled to the CSL for a new adventure. "We are pleased to confirm the appointment of Giovanni van Bronckhorst as the head coach after a friendly negotiation between the two parties," said R&F's statement. 

Meanwhile, Feyenoord have confirmed that their physical performance coach Arno Philips has left the club and is expected to join Van Bronckhorst's backroom staff at R&F. 

The Dutchman had a glittering career as a player. He was capped 106 times by the Netherlands and played for Feyenoord, Rangers, Arsenal and Barcelona as a left-back.  

He won two league titles, two Scottish Cups and one League Cup at Rangers; one Premier League title and one FA Cup at Arsenal; two league titles and the Champions League at Barcelona and two Dutch Cups with Feyenoord.  

Van Bronckhorst's immediate task at R&F will be a reshuffle to fix the team's leaky defense. The CSL club conceded 72 goals last season and finished 12th in a hugely disappointing campaign, which ultimately cost Stojkovic's job on Friday. 

"It's a tough decision to part company with Dragan Stojkovic," R&F said in a statement. "The club wants to say a special thank you to Dragan for his commitment during the years with us and wish him a better life in the future." 

Now Stojkovic has gone, a new journey with Van Bronckhorst at helm is about to begin.