Erzgebirge Aue have confirmed that their new head coach will be Hannes Drews.

The 35-year-old replaces Thomas Letsch, who left the 2. Bundesliga club after just three competitive matches in charge.

He will be formally unveiled at a press conference on Friday, before his first game against FC Ingolstadt 04 on Saturday.

Have Aue unearthed another coaching prodigy?

After surprisingly sacking Letsch in August, following three back-to-back defeats in the 2. Bundesliga and DFB-Pokal, the Violas have once again gone for a young, unknown coach to lead their side.

However that isn’t the only similarity that Drews has with his successor-but-one, Domenico Tedesco, who left Aue for Schalke 04 in the summer after an all-too-brief tenure. They both earned their coaching badges at the same time, alongside TSG 1899 Hoffenheim coach Julian Nagelsmann, Werder Bremen’s Alexander Nouri and Kenan Kocak of SV Sandhausen.

Drews moves to Aue after spending the past six years as part of the youth coaching set-up at Holstein Kiel. He had spent four years in charge of their under-17s before moving up to the under-19s last summer.

“Hannes has done an excellent job with us,” said Fabian Müller, the head of Kiel’s youth department. He added they “regret very much” that they are to lose such a “professional and human” person from the club, but “wish him all the best” for his future.

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Lenk remains assistant coach – for now

Aue have gone for Drews ahead of Robin Lenk, who had been overseeing the first team following the departure of Letsch, his second spell in interim charge having bridged the gap between Pavel Dotchev and Tedesco last season.

In that time, Aue had drawn with Eintracht Braunschweig before a surprise victory over early-season front-runners 1. FC Nürnberg. Lenk has yet to complete his coaching badges, although the club were, according to Kicker, considering appointing both him and Carsten Müller, head of the club’s youth academy, as joint coaches until he completed his course next year.

Instead, Lenk will remain in his role as assistant coach under Drews. However having now spent nine with the club in various capacities, it would seem they will eventually have a ready-made replacement when the time comes to appoint another new coach.

Quotes via Holstein Kiel.

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