Preston North End advisor, Peter Ridsdale, is continuing to weigh up candidates to replace Alex Neil, with Football League World understanding that Robbie Fowler and Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink are under consideration. 

Neil left Deepdale last weekend following a 20th defeat of the season, which left Preston hurtling towards the bottom third of the Championship table.

Ridsdale is now looking at candidates to come in and replace Neil heading into a new era for Preston.

A source has told Football League World that Fowler and Hasselbaink could both come into consideration for the role, with that pair having links to Ridsdale that stretch back to their playing days.

They were both signed by the current Preston figure when he was chairman at Leeds United either side of the Millennium.

Fowler, 45, is the manager of SC East Bengal in the Indian Super League right now, but is understood to be open to the possibility of returning to England if the right opportunity arises.

In terms of Hasselbaink, he's back in management in the EFL, with Burton Albion.

That's the 48-year-old's second stint in-charge at the Pirelli Stadium, with Hasselbaink tasked with keeping Burton in League One - a six-game winning streak across February and March increased that possibility. The Dutchman also has experience of managing in the Championship with Queens Park Rangers.

Despite the names of Fowler and Hasselbaink emerging, they are not concrete options that Preston will settle on.

Other candidates like Gareth Ainsworth will be considered too, although Football League World understand that links with Nicky Butt are not accurate.