It has been a manic 24 hours for Rotherham United fans, with the immediate future of manager Paul Warne a situation that has captured the interest across the EFL.

The 49-year-old, who ended his playing career with the Millers, walked into a coaching role at the New York Stadium in 2012 and was appointed as manager in 2016. 

Since then, he has led the Yorkshire side excellently and whilst the club have not quite managed to solidify a Championship spot over the years, he has certainly been a success. 

A level-headed, tactically impressive manager, Warne is someone that lots of clubs have previously considered, however, it appears that the 49-year-old is edging closer to being appointed at Derby County. 

Reports first surfaced about Warne and the Huddersfield Town vacancy, however, talk of the Derby job quickly swarmed across social media and respective local outlets. 

Should Warne depart, it remains to be seen how the Millers would approach finding his successor and what criteria they would set out. 

It will also be interesting to see what level of manager they would be able to attract and what managers who are currently out of work express their interest.

As mentioned about different clubs who have already seen a managerial vacancy open, there are lots of different routes for the Millers to take at this point.

Of course, there are several experienced Championship managers who could be lured to the Championship outfit, with individuals such as Neil Warnock and Mick McCarthy likely to at least be in the conversation.

 

 

On the polar opposite side of the spectrum are the young coaches who are yet to take charge within the EFL.

These managers tend to have a clear ideology and system they would like to implement but their lack of experience does make it a gamble. 

Then, there are the managers who are making waves further down the pyramid, and whilst lots are young, intelligent and possess a clear ideology, they have at least accumulated a bit of experience.

It is the latter category that the Rotherham hierarchy should be considering here, someone who can help advance what Warne has created already.

The likes of Richie Wellens and Steve Schumacher represent options that may be considered, however, Cambridge United's Mark Bonner is a clear standout.

During his first full season at Cambridge, Bonner managed to secure promotion to League One.

Going into the 2021/22 campaign, the U's were tipped to go down, however, Bonner managed to guide his relatively youthful squad to a 14th-placed finish. 

Currently sitting ninth in the third-tier standings, all whilst playing an exciting brand of attacking football, the U's are continuing to punch above their weight. 

Bonner is on an upward trajectory as a manager and at just 36 years of age, he is an exciting prospect who deserves to be in the running for a Championship club. 

Humble, intelligent and developing a knack already for progressing young players, he ticks a lot of boxes for what Rotherham will be seeking in their next manager.