Edwards succeeds Michael Carrick, who was dismissed after almost three years in charge in the wake of last season’s failure to make the Championship play-offs.

The former Luton Town and Watford boss has signed a three-year contract at the Riverside, and is joined by a new-look coaching team ahead of the start of the new season.

Adi Viveash, who has spent seven years as Coventry City’s assistant boss and nine years coaching with Chelsea’s academy, will be joined by Harry Watling, a highly-rated coach who has worked at the likes of Chelsea, West Ham and Rangers, as first-team coaches.

Edwards has already begun work at Rockliffe Park, with Boro’s players due to report for the start of pre-season training at the start of next month.

“It’s a real privilege to be given the opportunity to be head coach of this great football club,” said Edwards. “It’s something that’s not lost on me, how big this is, how important this is, and what it means to people. There is an amazing fanbase.

“It felt instantly that this was right for me, and it got me excited. If I was going to come back in, I wanted to come back in at a place where we had a chance, and we have a really good chance here.

“We have a brilliant owner who historically gives his coaches time, support, and the tools needed to try and be successful. I can’t wait to get started now.”

Telford-born Edwards enjoyed a successful playing career that saw him make 235 senior appearances, almost half of which were for Wolves.

He began his coaching career in Wolves’ academy before leaving to work in the FA’s youth set-up, where he was head coach for England Under-16s.

His first senior role came as head coach of Forest Green, and his first season in charge saw the club win promotion to League One for the first time in their history with Edwards named League Two Manager of the Season.

His achievements earned him a move to Watford, where he took over from Roy Hodgson, but he was dismissed after presiding over just ten league matches despite his side being tenth in the table.

He returned to management at Luton Town in November 2022, with his first season at Kenilworth Road culminating in the Hatters’ surprise promotion to the Premier League following a win over Coventry City in the play-off final.

Edwards’ Luton side made a decent fist of trying to survive despite having the lowest budget in the top-flight, eventually finishing in 18th position, but their return to the Championship proved a struggle, with Edwards eventually leaving by mutual agreement in January with his side in 20th position in the table. Luton would eventually be relegated on the final day of the season.

“Rob is someone who I’ve been aware of for a long time, and I’ve followed his development as a coach closely,” said Boro’s head of football Kieran Scott. “He made history at Forest Green Rovers, and to win promotion to the Premier League with Luton Town was a fantastic achievement.

“We had an exciting pool of candidates for this role, but we felt that Rob was the stand-out and were very impressed upon meeting him and listening to him talk about his vision for the club. We’re excited that Rob has agreed to join us and are looking forward to the future.”