RIO DE JANEIRO -- Fluminense have appointed their former player Odair Hellmann as head coach for the 2020 season, the Rio de Janeiro club said on Wednesday.

The 42-year-old replaces Marco Aurelio, who took charge on a caretaker basis after the October sacking of Oswaldo de Oliveira.

Hellmann has been out of work since parting ways with Fluminense's Brazilian Serie A rivals Internacional in July.

A former attacking midfielder, he represented Fluminense as a player in the late 1990s.

Four-time Brazilian Serie A champions Fluminense finished 14th in the 2019 Brazilian Serie A championship with 12 wins, 10 draws and 13 losses.