With their early season form starting to dwindle, Lincoln City remain on the lookout for a new manager following the departure of Danny Cowley to Huddersfield Town last week.

The Imps really do have a gigantic task on their hands, as they look to replace their most successful manager in the club's history and keep their League One promotion push alive.

It's hard to put into words how much of a revelation Cowley was at Sincil Bank - he guided the club from the lower echelons of the National League to the top-half of League One in the space of three years, as well as winning a Checkatrade Trophy in that time.

But after being tempted to join Championship side Huddersfield Town, Lincoln now face the difficult task of replacing the 40-year-old, and his brother Nicky.

As perhaps expected with a club now on the ascent, largely down to Cowley, plenty of exciting names have been linked with the vacant managerial role at Sincil Bank.

Wycombe manager Gareth Ainsworth is believed to be one of their main targets, but it looks like another target, Newport boss Michael Flynn, will not be taking charge of the Imps.

Football Insider claimed on Tuesday that the 38-year-old rejected the Imps' offer to become their new boss, with Newport also putting out a club statement saying that they rejected an approach from an unnamed club for his services - the club being Lincoln, of course.

It's clear to see why Lincoln wanted a manager like Flynn to replace Cowley - he is a young, up and coming manager who has transformed his club's fortunes, much like the 40-year-old did during his time at Sincil Bank.

Flynn took over in 2016/17 when Newport were 11 points adrift of safety in League Two, and three seasons later, they are a side who are fighting for promotion to the third tier, after losing in the play-off final last term.

But Flynn rejecting Lincoln's approach could well be a blessing in disguise for the Imps - he may well be a promising manager, but it would still be a risky appointment.

Newport looked solid under his management last term, but they ultimately fell short and showed that they aren't the finished article just yet, suggesting that Flynn still needs to work on a few things to make the Welsh side an even better team.

He has turned the Exiles into real promotion contenders this season, of course, but the Imps are currently looking to push for promotion in League One themselves, and need someone who can come in and pick up results straight away.

Flynn is unknown to League One, and there are much more experienced options out there for Lincoln to go and get, who know the third tier inside out - Ainsworth being a prime example of this.

Lincoln are in a completely different kettle of fish to Newport as well - the Imps have a larger fanbase, a bigger budget, and higher expectations than the League Two side overall, so a move to Sincil Bank could be too big of a step-up.

A manager like Ainsworth, though, knows the club well and grasps an understanding of what the fans want, especially having played for them between 1995 and 1997.

Whilst he may have all but ruled out a move to Lincoln due to the potential down at Adams Park with Wycombe, money talks, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see Lincoln go back in for the 46-year-old.

A manager of Ainsworth's calibre and experience is who the Imps should be targeting, to continue the good work done by Cowley, and they should now look to intensify their interest in their former player.