A Manchester United coach is now reportedly a serious contender to land the head coaching role at one of Africa's biggest teams.
The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) is in the market for a new manager after Finidi George vacated the post, handing in his resignation in June after just two matches at the helm.
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The 53-year-old's two games in charge were 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Benin, drawing 1-1 with the former and suffering a 2-1 defeat to the latter, prompting the NFF hierarchy to hire a technical advisor who would oversee the manager.
George later highlighted this appointment by the NFF as one of his reasons for his decision to resign.
As a result, the nation has shortlisted three candidates as potential successors, with United assistant coach Steve McClaren being among them, according to africanfootball.com.
The 63-year-old, who is under contract at the Red Devils until 2026, is claimed to have recently been interviewed by the NFF after being shortlisted for the vacant role.
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The man who is currently an assistant to Erik ten Hag has previously managed the England national team, Newcastle United and Derby County, and won the Eredivisie title while managing FC Twente in the Netherlands.
He was also part of the United coaching team that won the famous treble in 1999 under Sir Alex Ferguson.
The NFF's latest list of candidates is also said to include two-time Africa Cup of Nations winner Herve Renard and Belgian coach Tom Saintfiet, who was previously in charge of other nations on the continent, including Zimbabwe, Togo, Namibia, Ethiopia, Malawi and Gambia.
Reports, meanwhile, have suggested that Renard – who will be parting ways with the France women's national team after the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris – is viewed by the NFF as the ideal candidate.
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They could, however, face competition from continental giants Egypt, who are also believed to be vying for the former Ivory Coast manager's signature.