Leeds United are putting out early feelers as they lay the groundwork for appointing a new manager, sources have told Football Insider.
The Yorkshire giants slumped to the Premier League bottom three following Sunday’s 3-2 home defeat to Fulham.
Pressure is growing on the Leeds hierarchy from supporters to sack Jesse Marsch on the back of four consecutive defeats.
It is believed that Leeds are paving the way behind the scenes for a potential manager change by compiling a shortlist of potential replacements.
They are set to make contact with some of those amid a growing sense that Marsch will not be in charge beyond the mid-November World Cup cut-off.
United chiefs are well aware of the strong feeling of supporters who fear relegation.
Boos rang around Elland Road at full-time on Sunday, mixed with chants of ‘what is going on?’ and ‘sack the board’.
The last 10 minutes were played out to the sound of chants against Marsch, whose popularity has nosedived over the last month.
The fury and frustration of supporters has struck club chiefs and is likely to play a part in decisions made in the coming days.
Leeds’ next fixture is away to Liverpool on Saturday night, followed by Bournemouth at home the week after.
Either side of the World Cup break are fixtures against Tottenham and Manchester City, as the club prepare for a more testing run of matches than they have had so far.