Newcastle United will reportedly target Steve McClaren as their next head coach during the summer, after confirming the appointment of John Carver until the end of the season.
Carver, who has failed to win any of his four matches as caretaker, will remain in charge of the Magpies for the final 16 games of the campaign.
McClaren has attracted praise for the job he has done at current club Derby County, turning them from a mid-table side into Championship promotion contenders.
Newcastle's hierarchy are said to have held talks with the former England manager's associates, which has persuaded managing director Lee Charnley and chief scout Graham Carr that they would have to wait until the summer to land the 53-year-old.
According to the Northern Echo, Charnley and Carr are admirers of McClaren's achievements as a manager, which includes winning the League Cup with Middlesbrough and the Eredivisie title with FC Twente.
The report adds that Newcastle will make a strong push for McClaren in the summer, who has proved unwilling to walk out on Derby while they are in the middle of a promotion campaign.
McClaren has also managed Nottingham Forest and Wolfsburg during his career.
