Rovers are in the process of finalising the appointment of a sporting director who is set to be unveiled this week.

However, the search for a manager remains ongoing, with the club to hold a second round of talks with three managers this week.

The Lancashire Telegraph revealed last month that Rovers planned to restructure their football operations following the departure of Tony Mowbray after five years in charge, which would see the introduction of a sporting director and a new head coach.

The head coach search has been seen as the more pressing of the two matters, with the sporting director search having run parallel to that of a first-team boss.

However, with that search now into a fourth week, Rovers are close to appointing a sporting director who is understood to have been sourced by a headhunting company.

That was the same approach Rovers took when looking for a new chief executive in 2017, with Steve Waggott having been approached through a company employed by the club.

It will be the first such position at the club since relegation from League One.

Paul Senior was appointed as head of football and operations in January 2017, only to leave after relegation to the third tier.

When Tony Mowbray signed his new contract this summer, his title was changed from head coach to manager, with Rovers then appointed Steve Waggott as chief executive in late 2017.

Mowbray had hinted that his assistant Mark Venus, who left the club last month, had worked in something of a dual role in leading negotiations with incoming players, although no new position was ever formally announced.

Rovers could well be on the look-out for a new head of recruitment with John Park, who replaced Stuart Harvey following his departure to Sunderland last month, out of contract at the end of the month.

Harvey transformed Rovers’ recruitment team, and is looking to do likewise at Sunderland, with some of his appointments having moved to work with him in the north east.

Yet Rovers’ behind-the-scenes operation looks set to be re-jigged with the appointment of a sporting director.

He isn’t understood to have been involved in the search for a head coach, led by chief executive Waggott and Venky’s advisor Suhail Pasha, with recommendations having been sent to the owners.

The original shortlist was extended from five to eight, with interviews held over 10 days.

Another round of interviews, with the shortlist having been narrowed down to a final three, will now take place this week before the button is pressed on an eventual replacement for Mowbray.

That comes as the players return for pre-season testing next week, with training to begin in earnest the following week ahead of the first friendly at Accrington Stanley on July 9.

Known candidates Carlos Carvalhal and Daniel Farke have since been appointed as managers of Al Wahda FC and Borussia Monchengladbach respectively, while Michael Beale and Neil Critchley were both understood to be under consideration before taking up new jobs.

Beale left his position as assistant manager at Aston Villa to be appointed as manager of Rovers’ Championship rivals QPR who ended their search for a new manager last week, following the departure of Mark Warburton in similar circumstances to Mowbray.

Critchley, who was under contract at Blackpool until 2026, then opted to leave his position at the Seasiders to replace Beale as Steven Gerrard’s assistant.

Rovers are down to a final three, but the club have helped keep the names of candidates under wraps for the most part.

There is a growing feeling that the club could yet approach an in-work manager, having done only once during the eight managers appointed by owners Venky’s.

Everton coach Duncan Ferguson remains favourite with the bookmakers, his odds shortening with news that four-times Champions League winning boss, and current Real Madrid manager, Carlo Ancelotti contacted Rovers to recommend the Scot for the job.

Wycombe Wanderers manager Gareth Ainsworth, a boyhood Rovers fan, wasn’t among the original shortlist but could yet come into the frame, while Rotherham United boss Paul Warne has also been linked.

Having previously prioritised managers out of work, Rovers have also only employed one manager born outside out of Great Britain and Ireland, in Henning Berg whose tenure lasted only 10 games and 57 days.

TAKE OUT A SUPSCRIPTION...

Gain unlimited access to the Lancashire Telegraph website with a premium digital subscription with a one month FREE trial