Now 44, Donald is a former world number one and boasts five PGA Tour wins, plus seven victories on the European Tour - now known as the DP World Tour for sponsorship reasons.

Donald played in the 2004, 2006, 2010 and 2012 Ryder Cups, with Europe victorious on each occasion.

Donald's record as a player is 10 wins, four losses and a half from 15 matches.

The first English captain since Sir Nick Faldo in 2008, Donald said he was "excited and truly honoured" to be offered the job.

The United States are the holders entering next year's Ryder Cup at the Marco Simone Golf and Country Club near Rome.

Stenson was relieved of his duties last month after signing a deal to play in events run by Saudi-backed LIV Golf.

The Swede - a Rio 2016 Olympic silver medallist - was widely reported to have been offered a $50 million (£41 million/€48 million) signing bonus.

Stenson won his debut LIV event last weekend at Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster in New Jersey, earning $4 million (£3.3 million/€3.9 million) plus team prize money.

LIV Golf has announced plans to stage 25 tournaments in 2023, but says it will avoid clashes with majors and international team events such as the Ryder Cup.

The promotion has sparked a bitter war within men's golf.

The PGA Tour has banned all of its players who have taken part in any LIV events indefinitely, while the DP World Tour has strengthened its "strategic alliance" with the PGA Tour and also sought to punish its players who have featured in LIV tournaments.

Critics say LIV Golf is a sportswashing exercise designed to mask Saud Arabian abuses of human rights, but some players have credited it with giving them more downtime and spoken fondly of the 54-hole, shotgun-start format.