Cannavaro, who captained Italy to victory in the 2006 World Cup, took Gabriele Cioffi’s place, who was fired following a 1-0 loss to another struggling team, Verona.
After the loss, Udinese’s position in Serie A dropped to 17th, one spot above the relegation zone, and they were tied with Frosinone in 18th place on 28 points.
Cannavaro has agreed to a contract that will expire at the end of June.
On Thursday, when Udinese plays the final eighteen minutes of their match against Roma, he will be in command.
After Roma star Evan Ndicka fell to the ground on the field, the initial match was called off with the score at 1-1.
