Cardiff City are continuing in their search for a new manager following Neil Warnock's departure from the club by mutual consent earlier this week.

Warnock saw his three-year reign in the Welsh capital come to an end on Monday afternoon when he decided to step aside following the Bluebirds' disappointing 1-0 defeat to Bristol City over the weekend.

The result means Cardiff have now won just five Championship matches heading into the international break, while they are currently languishing in the bottom half of the table following an underwhelming start to the season.

The Bluebirds must now seek a replacement for Warnock ahead of their next match against Charlton after the two-week break, and WalesOnline have reported that Neil Harris and Lee Bowyer are the two frontrunners for the role.

It is also believed there is a potential third candidate in the frame for the Cardiff hot seat, but Harris and Bowyer are the main contenders, with former Millwall boss Harris reportedly being the preferred candidate for the role.

These names suggest Cardiff are looking for a younger manager to start a more long-term project at the club following Warnock's departure, but it will surely not fill the club's fans with confidence to see Harris as the leading contender.

There can be no doubt that the 42-year-old performed an excellent job at Millwall before his departure earlier this season, but this appointment would not represent much of a shift from Warnock as Harris also likes a physical and direct footballing approach.

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This has some positives in the sense that Cardiff have assembled a squad geared towards this style of play, but the club's fanbase will surely now be hoping for a change of direction from the club following the troubled end of Warnock's reign.

Bowyer would be a more exciting appointment given the more attractive style he has deployed with great success at Charlton, but there will not be much hope that Cardiff could prise the former midfielder away from his current employers.

Therefore, this makes Harris the firm frontrunner to replace Warnock at the club's helm, and there is bound to be something of an underwhelming feeling if this appointment is eventually made in the coming days.