Speculation continues regarding just who will be named as the next permanent manager at Leeds United, with the Whites likely seeking to secure an instant return to the Premier League next season following their recent relegation.
With Sam Allardyce no longer at the helm following his brief, four-game stint in charge, recent reports have suggested that Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard could be the man to take his place in the dugout, with the 43-year-old already said to have held talks with the Elland Road outfit.
The former England international has been out of work since October following the end to what was a rather underwhelming, 11-month stint at Aston Villa – where he lost 19 of his 40 games in charge – although prior to that the up-and-coming coach had done a "magnificent" job during his first managerial post at Rangers, according to Sir Alex Ferguson.
The iconic midfielder notably guided the Ibrox outfit to the Scottish Premiership title in the 2020/21 season as the Gers went the entire league campaign without tasting defeat, having finished 25 points clear of bitter rivals Celtic at the summit.
For all that previous success, however, it is seemingly a different kettle of fish trying to guide a club out of the Championship – as Gerrard would need to do at Leeds – with pundit Ally McCoist only recently sounding a word of warning to the Englishman, after describing the second tier as "completely different dynamic to the top flight".
As such, the Yorkshire side may be better served finding a suitable alternative who has greater experience at trying to push for promotion, with former Fulham and AFC Bournemouth boss, Scott Parker – who has been named among the list of contenders – perhaps the man for the job.
Should Leeds appoint Scott Parker?
Much like his former England colleague, the 42-year-old is currently out of work after enduring a miserable stint abroad at Belgian outfit, Club Brugge, having lasted just 12 games with the Pro League side before being sacked back in March.
Prior to that, however, the youthful coach did impress due to his fine work in the Championship, having notably led the Cottagers to promotion at the first attempt back in the 2019/20 season, following a play-off final victory over Brentford.
Lauded as a "special" managerial talent by Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville, Parker did suffer a swift relegation in the following campaign in west London, albeit while again repeating his promotion heroics in the 2021/22 campaign with the Cherries.
As per The Telegraph, that experience of steering clubs back into the promised land that is the Premier League is a 'huge plus', even if the highly-rated coach did somewhat sour his reputation having been dismissed at the Vitality Stadium back in August after criticising the club's recruitment policy.
With Parker's time in Brugge having also failed to pan out, the 4-3-3 tactician will likely be chomping at the bit to get back in the game sooner rather than later, hence the need for Leeds to consider handing him the task of securing a rapid return to the top flight.
