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Nantes have hired former Montpellier and Lille boss Rene Girard to be their new manager for next season, the club have announced. Girard, 62, will replace Michel Der Zakarian, who announced last month that he would not be signing a new contract with a club he guided back to Ligue 1 in 2013. Girard, who has been out of work since leaving Lille a year ago, has signed a two-year contract with the eight-time French champions. The former France under-21 coach led Montpellier to a shock first Ligue 1 title in 2012 and Lille finished third in 2014 at the end of his first season in charge. Lille struggled for goals under Girard, however, and an eighth-placed finish last season proved below expectations. Nantes are currently 12th in Ligue 1 having fallen away badly since the end of March as speculation over Der Zakarian's future intensified. He eventually announced his departure live on television following a 1-1 draw at Marseille, saying that he no longer wanted to work with Nantes president Waldemar Kita.
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