Lincoln City have suffered a setback in their search for a new manager following the departure of Danny Cowley.

The 40-year-old, who led the Imps to two promotions in three years, decided to move to Championship side Huddersfield Town last week.

With Jamie McCombe and Andy Warrington currently overseeing matters at Sincil Bank, it seemed as if Lincoln were about to appoint Gareth Ainsworth as their manager.

However, according to the Daily Mail, the Wycombe Wanderers boss has reportedly turned down a formal offer from the Imps after failing to agree terms with chairman Clive Nates.

Lincoln are now thought to be weighing up an improved package for Ainsworth who is their number one target for the job.

Since taking over at Wycombe, the 46-year-old has managed to completely transformed the club's fortunes.

After leading the Chairboys to survival in League Two in 2014, Ainsworth eventually secured promotion to the third-tier four years later.

Currently third in the League One standings following an impressive start to the 2019/20 campaign, Wycombe will be eyeing up a possible promotion push over the coming months providing that their boss does not make the switch to Lincoln.

If the Imps cannot convince Ainsworth to make the move, they may turn to Newport boss Michael Flynn who has reportedly been interviewed for the vacancy at Sincil Bank.

The Verdict

Whilst Lincoln have yet to give up hope of securing the services of Ainsworth, the fact that he has already turned them down once suggests that they may find it beneficial to look elsewhere for a replacement for Cowley.

Considering that the Imps' future will heavily rely upon who they decide to bring in over the coming weeks, it is imperative that they remain patient.

By appointing the right manager, Lincoln will have every chance of achieving a relative amount of success in League One this season yet a wrong move could result in them plummeting down the standings.