Eddie Howe, Roberto Di Matteo, Brian McDermott, and Nigel Adkins are all reportedly on Derby County's four-man shortlist of replacements for Phillip Cocu, which has drawn an interesting reaction from fans of the East Midlands club.

After a poor start to the season that has left the Rams bottom of the Championship, Cocu was sacked yesterday bringing an end to his 16 months in charge at Pride Park.

It is understood that club captain Wayne Rooney will form part of an interim coaching team for next weekend's game against Bristol City, alongside Justin Walker, Shay Given, and Liam Rosenior.

According to the Daily Mail, however, Rooney is not a contender for the permanent job.

The report claims that the Rams have a four-man shortlist for the vacant manager position, which includes Howe, Di Matteo, McDermott, and Adkins.

The former left Bournemouth after their relegation back to the Championship last summer and despite being linked with other roles, is yet to find a new club.

Di Matteo led Chelsea to Champions League success in 2012 but has not managed a side since his brief spell at Aston Villa ended four years ago.

McDermott's last position, a second stint at Reading, was also in 2016 but he does have experience getting promoted out of the Championship. As does Adkins, who has been without a club since he left Hull City last summer.

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The emergence of the four-man shortlist has drawn an interesting reaction from the Pride Park faithful, many of whom took to Twitter to voice their thoughts.

Read their reaction here: