MARTIN CANNING hopes the experience of best mate Alex Neil will help him settle into life in the Hamilton hotseat - but insists he will be his own man after being confirmed as his friend's successor.

The 33-year-old was yesterday unveiled as Accies manager and will head up a new-look set-up at first-team and youth level at the club.

Canning will be assisted by former Hamilton defender Chris Swailes, while Guillaume Beuzelin arrives as head coach and Brian Potter will take over as goalkeeper coach.

Forward Dougie Imrie will also take his first steps into coaching, replacing Canning at Under-17 level as the club captain looks to follow in the footsteps of new Norwich gaffer Neil.

Canning said: "I speak to Alex almost every day. He is my best friend. We talk and football dominates that talk.

"I have spoken to him plenty about it and he will be invaluable in terms of his experience here for me to bounce things off. I will be my own man, I will do my own things.

"But to have your best friend having done the same job that you are going to do, and having been successful at it, can only be a help to me. I will be my own man, but Alex is my best mate so we will continue to talk."

It is not just in the dugout where Canning will hope to follow Neil's lead and guide Hamilton to more success in the Premiership this season.

The Accies skipper has been a vital part of the team that has made history in the top flight and played twice, against Dundee United and Celtic, while he was interim boss.

The visit of Inverness Caley Thistle this afternoon will kick off a new era at New Douglas Park, but Canning is determined to keep pulling on his boots.

He said: "You tend to see it when guys that are playing get a manager's job they end up playing very rarely or stop playing. That is not something I am intending to do.

"I am hoping I can manage it in a way that will let me play and manage. That is why having Swas and Boozy in will help because they are more than capable of taking a training session.

"If I am going to play, they are capable of standing in the dugout and knowing exactly what we are going to do."

As Canning was unveiled as the new Hamilton boss, vice-chairman Ronnie MacDonald confirmed the club had turned down a £300,000 offer for defender Ziggy Gordon from Polish side Jagiellonia Bialystok.

An unnamed Chinese club have made an enquiry about Tony Andreu, while defender Mikey Devlin has agreed a three-year extension to his deal.

And Canning is keen to add to the squad he has before the end of the transfer window next month.

He said: "We'll be looking to bring through as many young players as possible, but if there's one or two they think will improve and help, then that's something we'll discuss.

"Alex was still a player as well. Before he left I think he'd played in six of the previous seven games, so you've lost a player in the middle of the park as well. Jason Scotland left early in the window so we could maybe do with getting one or two in."