Tuesday 5 November 2019 13:59, UK
Hearts owner Ann Budge has set a Friday deadline for applications for the vacant manager's job, with former player Neil McCann expressing his interest in the role.
Craig Levein was sacked as Hearts boss on Thursday and will remain at the club until the end of the season when his contract ends, working to "develop and improve the structure of the backroom and youth operations", but will not return to his director-of-football role.
Budge said that she is keen to create a new sporting director role as part of the recruitment process to find a new manager.
Sky Sports News understands that former manager Jim Jefferies, who is currently working in a similar role at Edinburgh City, would listen to Hearts if they contacted him about the sporting director job.
On Monday Budge said the creation of that position was "crucial" to moving the club forward.
Former Dundee manager McCann, who won the Scottish Cup under Jefferies at Hearts and worked alongside him at Dunfermline, has already expressed his interest in the managerial vacancy at Tynecastle.
