By Wayne Veysey

7th Jun, 2022 | 10:50am

Sources: Blackpool to interview Michael Duff today after board statement

Cheltenham boss Michael Duff is being interviewed for the vacant Blackpool manager’s job today, Football Insider understands.

It comes after Neil Critchley left the Bloomfield Road to join Steven Gerrard’s backroom staff at Aston Villa.

A Blackpool source has told Football Insider that the club have asked Cheltenham for permission to speak to Duff with a view to him replacing Critchley.

Duff, 44, is also in the running for the Barnsley job and has already spoken to the Yorkshire club.

Blackpool are on the hunt for a new manager after Neil Critchley’s departure was confirmed last week.

The 43-year-old left the club to become Steven Gerrard’s new assistant manager at Aston Villa after Michael Beale quit to take over at QPR.

Critchley was under a long-term contract at Bloomfield Road but deemed the opportunity to reunite with his former Liverpool colleague Gerrard too good to turn down.

Duff has been identified as a potential replacement for the Englishman after an impressive four years at Cheltenham Town.

He won League Two’s manager of the season award in 2021 after achieving automatic promotion with the Robins.

In the 2021-22 campaign, Cheltenham Town built on that success by finishing 15th in League One and 18 points ahead of the relegation zone.

On Monday, a statement from the League One club’s board addressed the speculation surrounding their manager and revealed he has been offered a contract extension.

In other news, a source has revealed Sheffield United and Coventry City are in a race to sign Jake Clarke-Salter.