‘Unforeseen circumstances’ delay Aberdeen boss hunt

Aberdeen’s search for a new head coach has been delayed by “unforeseen circumstances”, with chairman Dave Cormack stressing the club “mustn’t rush or compromise” an appointment.

Peter Leven has been in interim charge since the departure of Jimmy Thelin on 4 January.

The Dons sit eighth in the Scottish Premiership, having lost five of the six league games overseen by Leven.

Eirik Horneland was strongly linked with a move to Pittodrie after losing his job at French Ligue 2 club Saint-Etienne at the end of January.

But the return of former assistant manager Tony Docherty on 13 February suggested a permanent appointment is still some way off.

Cormack says sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel had talks with “several strong candidates from both the UK and overseas”.

The chairman went on to explain that “most candidates were not available to begin work immediately”.

Via a statement, he said: “Increasingly, coaches want a full pre-season to properly implement their ideas and philosophy, particularly those relocating from abroad.

“Due to unforeseen circumstances the final stage of the process is taking longer than we expected.