BRUSSELS, July 24 (Reuters) - ⁠Belgium have named former Netherlands international ⁠Mark van Bommel as their new ‌coach on a two-year contract until the 2028 European Championship, the Belgian football association said on ​Friday.

The 49-year-old succeeds Rudi Garcia, ⁠whose contract, which ⁠runs out at the end of July, was ⁠not ‌renewed despite Belgium reaching the World Cup quarter-final earlier this ⁠month.

In Belgium, Van Bommel is best known ​for ‌his spell at Antwerp, where he guided ⁠the ​club to a historic league and cup double in 2022-23, and is highly regarded ⁠for his tactical expertise -- an ​area in which Garcia had been criticised -- as well as for his man-management skills.

He has ⁠also coached at PSV Eindhoven and VfL Wolfsburg. In his playing career, Van Bommel won 79 caps for the Dutch, ​playing in the 2010 ⁠World Cup final, and was on the ​books at Barcelona, Bayern ‌Munich, AC Milan and ​PSV Eindhoven.

(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Toby Davis)