Sources: New Leeds United manager twist with Steven Gerrard and Gary McAllister discussed
Leeds United are expected to re-explore the route of hiring an interim manager if they lose to bottom club Southampton on Saturday, sources have told Football Insider.
United’s 1-0 defeat at Everton has heaped the pressure on the club’s hierarchy with supporters chanting ‘sack the board’ at Goodison Park and levelling their ire at director of football Victor Orta in particular.
The club had hoped that caretaker Michael Skubala could lead them through to the end of the season, keep the team up and let the board attack the managerial market when their targets can easier be prised from jobs.
Skubala has not been appointed until the end of the season, but Leeds had regarded this as a better option than hiring an interim coach while they try to find Marsch’s permanent replacement.
But the club are now plotting another potential U-turn amid fears that the club will head back into the Championship if they can’t secure a proven manager in the coming weeks.
One possibility that has been discussed at Leeds is the combination of Steven Gerrard and Gary McAllister, the former Whites favourite, taking charge until the end of the season.
The duo tick many boxes, not least proven calibre – Gerrard and right-hand man McAllister oversaw a memorable title triumph at Rangers – and Premier League experience at Aston Villa.
The clash against Southampton, who are also manager-less but memorably defeated Chelsea on Saturday, is shaping up as the most important of the season.
Leeds recognise their precarious league position and how things have the potential to unravel in the coming weeks without an experienced manager in charge.
United have struggled to source a permanent replacement for Jesse Marsch, who was dismissed two weeks ago.
Attempts to bring in Rayo Vallecano’s Andoni Iraola and Feyenoord’s Arne Slot were unsuccessful, with both too difficult to prise from their current roles, while Carlos Corberan snubbed a short-term offer to sign an improved West Brom contract.
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