The 44-year-old made over 120 appearances for the multiple Scottish champions during a six-year stay at Parkhead and he featured in several famous Champions League wins when the club was managed by Martin O’Neill.

Agathe was also in the Hoops line-up that fell to a 3-2 defeat against a Porto side managed by Jose Mourinho in the UEFA Cup Final in 2003.

He made a handful of appearances in the Premier League with Aston Villa following his departure from Celtic in 2006 and brought down the curtain on his playing career with Reunion Island club JS Saint-Pierroise.

Since announcing his retirement in 2010, Agathe set up an academy for young footballers on the island and his surprise move to Durham will see him managing the club’s first team and newly-formed academy.

Durham chairman Gary Hutchinson told https://durhamcityafc.co.uk: “Didier is dedicated, experienced former professional footballer who has played at the very highest level. He has been coaching since his retirement and brings with him a tremendous skill sets which the board believes kick start a new era at the club.”

Agathe commented: “It’s a great challenge and a great club. This is a really exciting project to be involved in. The club is looking to build on and off the pitch and I’m really looking forward to playing a big part in this journey.”

Looking to the future, Agathe enthused: “I’m really excited about this role, I’ve been coaching since my retirement, working with my Academy for over 10 years and I’m excited to transfer my knowledge and experience to build a fantastic academy for Durham City.”

Agathe will take charge of a Durham City side looking to improve on recent seasons. “I’m looking to build something here based on discipline, commitment and hard work. I want to build an exciting team that will win games and bring back the fans to Durham. There are good players here, we are in the process of adding some players to complement the current squad and I can’t wait to get working with them,” added Agathe.

Director of football John Woolnough, who has been in discussions with Agathe, enthused: “This is a fantastic appointment for Durham City AFC. Didier is a very well-regarded coach and will help to catapult the club forward. We’ve spoken a lot already about the priorities and I think we’re both very forward thinking and open minded and it should be a good positive relationship.”

Hutchison added: “The club would like to thank John Woolnough for his efforts in this appointment, it’s been a great effort to get this over the line and I would like to thank everyone for their patience. I am hoping this appointment will move the club to the next level and beyond, it’s not going to happen overnight but believe it’s a big step in the right direction”.