Gus Hikkink pictured here in 2015. (Photo: AP)

Beijing (Xinhua) -- Former Dutch national team manager Guus Hiddink has been appointed head coach of China's U-21 national team, in the hope of leading the side at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, the Chinese Football Association (CFA) revealed in a statement on Monday morning.

The statement said that Hiddink would assume his new position next month, but it did not release other details such as the Dutchman's salary or the length of his contract.

The 71-year-old has had a long and varied career in management at both club and international level.

In addition to his two spells with the Netherlands national team, he has also managed South Korea, Australia, Russia and Turkey. During his spell in charge of the South Korean national team, he led the Taegeuk Warriors to their first and only World Cup semifinals on home soil in 2002.

Hiddink's managerial career has also seen him take charge of big-name clubs like Real Madrid, PSV Eindhoven and Valencia, in addition to two caretaker stints at Chelsea.

Rumors had circulated that Hiddink was set to take up a position with the CFA earlier this month, when he was seen watching China's U-21 side beat Myanmar 1-0 on September 4 in Kunming.

The Dutchman will prepare his side for the 2020 AFC U-23 Championship qualification tournament, scheduled for March 2019. Players born on or after January 1, 1997 will compete for the chance to play at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.

In steering Chinese soccer, Hiddink joins another global football icon, Italian World Cup winner Marcello Lippi, who has been in charge of the Chinese senior side since 2016.