Former Aston Villa and Fulham stars go head-to-head in battle for Blackburn Rovers next manager role

Former Aston Villa and Middlesbrough midfielder George Boateng has emerged as the surprise front-runner to become the next Blackburn Rovers manager. The Riversiders are currently on the hunt for a new head coach to replace John Eustace after his bombshell decision to swap a promotion push with Rovers for a relegation battle with Derby County.

However, despite the upheaval behind the scenes, the Ewood Park club are currently enjoying a great season and have been handed their best shot at winning promotion back to the top-flight since their relegation in 2012 after a strong start.

Following the summer sale of top scorer Sammie Szmodics to Ipswich Town, the Lancashire side are flying high in fifth position in the Championship table, four points clear of in-form Coventry City - and are currently on a two-match winning streak under interim boss David Lowe.

Former Premier League duo set their sights on Blackburn role

Former Villa Park stalwart George Boateng is expected to hold talks with Blackburn chiefs over the vacancy, according to TalkSport. The outlet understands that Boateng’s leadership qualities as a player have made him an outstanding candidate for the vacancy at Ewood Park.

Boateng, who made 103 Premier League appearances for Villa while winning the Intertoto Cup and reaching the 2000 FA Cup final, is best remembered for his time at Middlesbrough which saw him win the 2004 League Cup, marking the club’s first piece of major silverware.

His first and only venture into management came a decade ago at Malaysian side Kelantan F.C. He won 18 of his 37 games in charge and has since worked as a youth team coach at both Blackburn and Aston Villa while also serving as assistant manager of Ghana and first team coach at Coventry City.

Fulham favourite Luis Boa Morte, who also played for the likes of Arsenal and West Ham in the early 2000s, is another name that is expected to hold talks with the Riversiders. The Lisbon-born footballer has worked as a coach at Fulham, Sporting CP and Maccabi Haifa in Israel.

He has also acted as Marco Silva’s assistant at Everton before following him to Craven Cottage to take on the same role. Boa Morte briefly managed lower-league Portuguese side S.U. Sintrense before returning to management at international level with Guinea-Bissau, where he has won just one of his opening 10 games.

Blackburn Rovers next manager candidates

Blackburn Rovers are expected to hold talks with a number of candidates as they target promotion back into the Premier League for the first time in 13 years.

Sky Sports News understands a number of names are being considered by the hierarchy including England Under-21 boss Lee Carsley, current interim coach David Lowe and Leyton Orient’s Richie Wellens.

Former Villa boss Steven Gerrard is also understood to be on the shortlist after leaving Saudi side Al Ettifaq. The Liverpool icon was thought to be a shock contender for the Carlisle United post before Mark Hughes’ arrival at Brunton Park.