Tony Scholes, chief executive of Preston North End plc, is confident they have appointed the right man for the job.
He said: "His record speaks for itself. He is a man with great respect in the game, regarded as being one of the finest coaches and tacticians there is in the game.
"The moment we met Craig, we were clear as to who our number one choice was. I am delighted that Craig has agreed to join us.
"He is going to be here with us now to continue the progression of our club and to bring success to Preston North End.
"There were a number of high calibre applicants, it's really a measure of how far we have come in the game.
"We listed a number of criteria and Craig scored on every one of those, so ultimately it became a very easy decision for us."
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