Dwight Yorke has been named head coach of Trinidad and Tobago, aiming to lead the home islands back to the World Cup.

The appointment comes after Yorke was controversially sacked from his only other coaching job in Australia with Macarthur, which he led to the national cup title in 2022 before leaving last year. Yorke later won a settlement case at the Court of Arbitration for Sport against the club over the dismissal.

Yorke scored 18 goals in 72 matches for the Soca Warriors and captained the side at the 2006 World Cup in Germany, the only time they qualified for the showpiece event. Trinidad and Tobago did not advance from a group including England, Sweden and Paraguay.

“I am proud and privileged to receive the honour of leading the Trinidad and Tobago national team,” Yorke said. “The opportunity to work with this talented, close-knit group of players is something I look forward to.

Trinidad and Tobago currently sit second behind Costa Rica in a five-team World Cup qualifying group. The top two teams advance to the next stage, and Trinidad and Tobago could seal their place by beating Saint Kitts and Nevis on 6 June.

The Trinidad and Tobago football association president, Kieron Edwards, said Yorke’s “experience, leadership and commitment” can inspire the current crop of players to reach the next World Cup to be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Yorke was manager of Macarthur between July 2022 and January 2023, and won 10 of his 19 matches, drawing three and losing the other six, and claimed the Australia Cup.

The 52-year-old former Manchester United striker has talked of the difficulty of finding a coaching role since his dismissal from Macarthur in 2022. Yorke’s two-year deal was cut short after seven months and ended with the A-League club ordered to pay their former manager AU$212,500 in compensation after a CAS ruling that Macarthur breached their contract when sacking Yorke without just cause.

Yorke starred for almost a decade at Aston Villa before joining Manchester United before their treble-winning season in 1998-99. The striker also played at Blackburn Rovers, Birmingham City and Sunderland, retiring after a spell in the A-League with Sydney FC.