Daniele De Rossi will continue his role as AS Roma head coach beyond the end of the season, the club have confirmed.
The former club captain succeeded Jose Mourinho on a short-term basis earlier this season with Roma in ninth place in Serie A.
In an impressive spell, De Rossi has helped the club jump to fifth place with eight wins from 11 games in the league, where they are currently on a seven-match unbeaten run.
The 40-year-old has also guided Roma to a spot in the UEFA Europa League semi-finals following a 3-1 aggregate victory over AC Milan on Thursday.
After the decision to announce his permanent appointment, the club said the “positive impact that his leadership has brought to the entire club has told its own story”.
“We are delighted to announce [De Rossi] will continue as head coach of AS Roma after this season and for the foreseeable future,” a club statement read.
“Daniele leads with respect and courage, while his strength and deep-rooted belief in the club are truly aligned with Roma’s values, city and unparalleled fans.
“We will continue to work together as hard as we possibly can to deliver a future that AS Roma’s fans deserve. We couldn’t be happier to build a long-term project with Daniele.”
Due to Italy receiving an extra UEFA Champions League qualifying spot next season, Roma are on track to return to Europe’s elite competition.
De Rossi took over from Mourinho following a 3-1 defeat to Milan with the club in freefall after just one win in six Serie A matches.
In a promising start, De Rossi won his first three league games in charge of the club against Hellas Verona, Salernitana and Cagliari.
His first loss came to league leaders Inter Milan, one of only two defeats he has suffered during his Roma tenure so far.
The other came against Brighton & Hove Albion in a 1-0 Europa League defeat, but they had thumped Roberto De Zerbi’s side in the opening leg and advanced 4-1 on aggregate.
Roma will take on the unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen for a spot in their first European final since 2022 when they won the UEFA Europa Conference League under Mourinho.
De Rossi will hope to clinch his first piece of silverware in his first season at the club where he spent 18 years as a player from 2001 to 2019.
The former midfielder represented Roma 616 times and won the Coppa Italia twice during his playing days in the Italian capital.