McAllister was meeting United's squad for the first time this morning after finalising an emotional return to the club yesterday, and his first challenge will be to grasp the chance of promotion which set up by his predecessor Dennis Wise.

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United have handed McAllister an initial contract until the end of the season, resisting the option of tying him down to a long-term deal immediately, and the 43-year-old revealed he had been recruited by chairman Ken Bates with the order to secure a route out of League One this season.

McAllister said: "The job brief is promotion. I'm here until June initially and, quite simply, my job is to come here and kick-start it
"There's a lot of hard work to be done. They've got themselves in a fantastic position and that's credit to Dennis and the players. When a new manager is appointed late in January it's usually to pick up the pieces of failure, but this is different. I'm joining a winning club."

McAllister agreed the terms of his short-term deal during a meeting with Bates in Monaco yesterday, and he flew back to England after signing the contract to prepare for his first encounter with his squad at Thorp Arch today.

The news of his appointment failed to save Leeds from a 1-0 defeat to Southend United at Roots Hall last night, but United's decision to name their former player and captain as Wise's successor has been met with widespread approval among the club's supporters.

Technical director Gwyn Williams revealed that McAllister had not been an automatic choice to replace Wise, but said United's interest in appointing him had been overwhelming after an initial meeting with the Scot revealed his passion and enthusiasm for the position.

Williams, who acted as caretaker boss at Roots Hall yesterday evening after Leeds dispensed with the services of Dave Bassett and John Gannon, said: "When we met Gary, he didn't hesitate in saying he wanted to come here. He's a young guy with experience of working as a manager, and he's got good ideas of how to take the club forward.

"We drew up a shortlist, and the important thing for us was to try and establish someone, and to get someone who was available to do the job straight away.

"We've taken Gary for that reason, but we've also taken him because he was positive and he wanted the job. He's got good credentials and he's a Leeds legend.

"There were many people we discussed and many people were approached. In the end, everyone was happy with Gary coming in."

McAllister's popularity grew during almost 300 appearances for Leeds as a player between 1990 and 1996, and he won the Division One title with the club in 1992 during Howard Wilkinson's tenure at Elland Road.

He also enjoyed a successful and high-profile spell with Liverpool and won more than 50 caps for Scotland before taking his first and only previous managerial position at Coventry City in 2002.

His reign as Highfield Road lasted for 76 matches and almost two years, but he stood down at the start of 2004 for personal reasons with his late wife fighting to overcome cancer.

McAllister was subsequently linked to the manager's job at Leeds around the time of Wise's appointment in October 2006, but the opportunity arose again last week after Wise agreed to join Newcastle United in the unusual role of executive director (football).

Confirmation of Wise's replacement was initially expected to made after last night's game, but the announcement of McAllister's return came through shortly before 6pm yesterday evening after a day of speculation linking him to the job.

Bates said: "We decided to move quickly and Gary was always in our minds.

"On Friday when we heard that Newcastle were interested in Dennis, we immediately started our contingency plans and identified Gary.
"His mission is to complete the good work and get us back into the Championship. Gary was happy to accept on those terms because he is confident in his own ability."

Leeds have already relieved Bassett from his duties as assistant boss, while first-team coach Gannon has also left the club after just over two months with the backroom team at Elland Road.

Williams, meanwhile, has operated as United's technical director since the summer of 2006, with particular responsibility for the club's scouting network, and asked if he would still have a role to play under McAllister, he said: "That's down to the new manager. I'm happy to stay but if he feels that I'm not part of it then I understand."