Leeds have twice acted decisively in the last 48 hours - once to dismiss manager Thomas Christiansen after yet another poor result, a 4-1 defeat at home to Neil Warnock's Cardiff on Saturday and then again to install Barnsley boss Paul Heckingbottom as their top target. 

Any fears that the managerial situation should be allayed by the Leeds hierarchy's swift decision to make Heckingbottom their primary managerial target.

Their pursuit of the 40-year-old shouldn't be too complicated thanks to the £500,000 release clause that has just been inserted into his new contract at Oakwell which removes the need to negotiate an expensive compensation package.

Leeds Live journalist Tom Marshall-Bailey has revealed the reasons why "Hecky" has been installed as the top choice.

He is young, British, knows the Championship and - crucially, given how heavily Leeds have been investing in their younger players - has a history of promoting youth players to the first team at Barnsley.

The Verdict

Heckingbottom's installation as Leeds' top target may have raised a few eyebrows but he does tick a lot of boxes.

The issue is whether he has enough time to develop the youngsters and build the type of team he is after at Elland Road - because Leeds managers don't tend to get too much time at the helm these days.

Leeds fans - do you agree with the qualities desirable in deciding your new manager? What are you looking for? Let us know in the comments below...