Relegation-threatened Nantes sacked coach Antoine Kombouare on Tuesday with just four matches remaining of the Ligue 1 campaign.
The club have tasked the coach of the under-19 team, Pierre Aristouy, with the job of retaining their place among the French elite.
Kombouare, 59, leaves with the Canaries in the relegation places, third from bottom of the table after a catastrophic week of results.
A 5-1 thrashing by Toulouse in the French Cup final – a trophy they lifted under Kombouare in 2022 – was followed by 2-0 defeats by fellow relegation rivals Brest and Strasbourg.
It left Nantes two points adrift of Auxerre and three shy of both Brest and Strasbourg.
Nantes president Waldemar Kita, who has never been shy of firing coaches, decided enough was enough and called on former Nantes forward Aristouy.
He has achieved some good results with the Under-19 side since he returned to the club in 2017.
He will be assisted by former Venezuelan international and ex-Nantes player Oswaldo Vizcarrondo, who has been coaching the women's team since last October.