Former Ukraine coach Blokhin named Moscow boss

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Former Ukraine manager Oleg Blokhin was named coach of Russian Premier League club FK Moscow on Friday.

The former Soviet striker replaces Leonid Slutsky, who was sacked by FK Moscow at the end of the season last month despite leading them to fourth place, their best finish, as well as the Russian Cup final.

Blokhin, 55, European Player of the Year in 1975, quit as Ukraine coach last week after failing to secure a four-year contract with the Ukrainian FA.

He guided Ukraine to their first major finals at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, where they reached the quarter-finals and also coached Greek club Olympiakos in the early 1990s.

"We were looking for a top coach and now we have what we wanted," Moscow general director Yuri Belous said.

"Blokhin has proved over the years that he is a top-notch coach."

(Reporting by Gennady Fyodorov, editing by Clare Lovell)