Forest Green finished third in the National League last season but were beaten by seventh-placed Southend in the play-offs on penalties, to miss out on a place in the Wembley final.
Savage links up with former Wales team-mate Mark Bowen at the Bolt New Lawn, who was appointed Forest Green’s director of football last month. They have not disclosed the length of his contract.
His son, Charlie Savage, also had a spell on loan at Forest Green during the second half of the 2023-24 campaign, scoring one goal in 15 games.
The appointment is the 50-year-old’s first in management in the top five tiers of English football.
However, last season he won promotion to the National League North with Macclesfield – where he has had an association since 2020 – during his first campaign in charge, with the club clinching the Northern Premier League Premier Division title with six games to spare.
Savage said at the time it would take “an awful lot” for him to leave for another club.
A Macclesfield statement, external said the departure of Savage was “disappointing” but that he leaves with “our very best wishes and eternal gratitude for everything that he has done for our football club”.
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