Bayern Munich Confirm Hansi Flick Will Continue as Manager Until End of Season

Bayern Munich have confirmed interim manager Hansi Flick will stay in charge of the side "at least until the end of the current season."

Bayern announced the news on Sunday via their official website. The Bundesliga champions said the possibility of extending his tenure at the club beyond the summer "is explicitly a viable option."

Club CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said the club "are very satisfied with Hansi Flick's work" and added:

"Under him as head coach, the on-field development has been outstanding, both in terms of the quality of our play and the results achieved.

"We set a new record in the 28-year history of the Champions League with six wins in six matches in the group stage, and in the Bundesliga we have returned to touching distance of the top of the table.

"I am convinced that FC Bayern will continue next year where we left off in the last few games, namely playing attractive and successful football."

Sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic was also pleased with the decision to keep Flick in charge for the immediate future:

Flick, who won four Bundesliga titles with the Bavarian club as a player, joined Niko Kovac's coaching staff in the summer.

He took charge on a caretaker basis when Kovac was sacked on November 3 after a 5-1 defeat at Eintracht Frankfurt.

Bayern were fourth in the Bundesliga at the time, four points off the top. They're now third heading into the winter break, albeit they're still four points behind first-place RB Leipzig.

Flick has won eight of his 10 games in charge.

The team won his first four in succession, with UEFA Champions League wins over Olympiacos and Red Star Belgrade either side of league wins against Borussia Dortmund and Fortuna Dusseldorf.

After suffering back-to-back defeats to Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Monchengladbach, they've won another four in a row in all competitions.

Munich have been an attacking force to be reckoned with during his time in charge:

The players will likely have welcomed the decision. Joshua Kimmich was among those calling for Flick to be given the job until the end of the season after Saturday's 2-0 win over Wolfsburg, per Goal's Ronan Murphy:

In the summer, it will be easier for Bayern to give a full assessment of Flick's performance, and they may have more options if they decide to replace him with a new permanent boss, too.

Bayern have won each of the last seven Bundesliga titles. Having won it last season after being nine points off the lead in December, they'll be expected to overhaul the four-point gap they face this time around.