With Paul Heckingbottom’s future as Leeds manager remaining precarious, Mick McCarthy has discussed his current managerial aspirations with BBC Radio 5Live.

He has been linked heavily to the Leeds job, although his odds have slipped to 9/4, behind market favourite Jaap Stam at 6/4. The managerial veteran had been linked with offers from Sunderland and South Africa’s Kaiser Chiefs and revealed he had turned down approaches from Australia and Israel. Yet the ex-Ipswich boss emphasised his desire to stay in England:

“They all kind of appeal to me to get back into work, but no, it’s a bit far. I would love to get back in the Premier League at some stage.”

He also revealed his link to the Sunderland job came about from a misunderstanding. He happened to be picking up a car in Sunderland on the day Coleman was sacked.

"The cleaner saw me and did a double take, "He said 'are you Mick McCarthy? You're after the Sunderland job aren't you?'

"I said 'I'm not actually. I'm going to see a friend and pick a car up'.

"He said 'I don't believe you, you're going for the Sunderland job'. So he walked off and came back and said 'I've had 100 quid on at 11/8'.”

The Verdict

With buckets of experience, Mick McCarthy is a safe pair of hands for any Championship club. The fact that he wishes to reach the Premier League again shows that any side wishing to sign him will need to show ambition to reach it. The question is whether Leeds have that ambition.