Sascha Lewandowski has been rewarded after overseeing Bayer 04 Leverkusen's fine end to the campaign after he and team manager Sami Hyypiä were given three-year deal.

Lewandowski, 40, took the reins on an interim basis with six matches remaining, assisted by Hyypiä, following the dismissal of Robin Dutt. A return of 14 points out of a possible 18 lifted Leverkusen to fifth and a UEFA Europa League spot, enough to convince the club to appoint both on permanent contracts.

"Sascha Lewandowski has already made a name for himself as an ambitious, forward-thinking coach at youth level," said Leverkusen sporting director Rudi Völler. "Sami Hyypiä played at the highest level of European football for ten years and he made a big impression in his last two years [playing] at Leverkusen. It looks like he was born to manage and I'm sure he'll work well with Sascha and make progress with Bayer 04."

The 38-year-old Hyypiä added: "Although [Lewandowski and I] didn't know each other before and we didn't have much time to put a plan together, the last few weeks have been a real success. Bayer 04's decision to give us the chance to carry on is a great mark of belief. We're convinced we can work with this team and our support staff to keep performing well in domestic and European competitions."