Lincoln City are on the hunt for a new manager following the exit of Michael Appleton, and they'll naturally want to get it sorted sooner rather than later.

The season for the Imps has been a difficult one, with them unable to replicate the form of 20/21 that took them to the play-off final in Sky Bet League One.

Indeed, they just could not carry that spark over into 21/22 and they are now looking for a fresh start ahead of 22/23 with a new manager at the helm that will aim to get them back challenging up towards the top six in the third tier.

Stephen Bradley appeared to be their number one target, too, with the Shamrock Rovers manager being contacted over the role but, earlier this week, it was revealed that he was planning on staying the other side of the Irish Sea for the time being.

Back to square one for the Imps, then, and it remains to be seen just who they manage to bring in before the nuts and bolts of pre-season and the summer window come around.

A few names are being linked, including Notts County's Ian Burchnall - with him trying to win promotion from the National League with the Magpies this season.

Elsewhere, Darren Ferguson is also a name potentially on the radar, given he is out of the job and has plenty of League One experience from his several spells with Peterborough United, whilst he also knows how to win promotion from the third tier too.

Ultimately, though, it's not massively clear who Lincoln want at this stage with Bradley going by the wayside, and we'll have to see what unfolds.