Alex Neil looks set to be appointed as the successor to Lee Johnson at Sunderland.
The former Preston head coach is highly regarded by those that have worked with, and against, him in English football.
He has a CV that will be of serious interest to those at the Stadium of Light with a Championship promotion at Norwich the highlight of his managerial career so far.
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Black Cats supporters will be hoping he is able to add a League One promotion to his list of honours if he is the man chosen to take the reins on Wearside.
Neil is very much a product of modern football as he has always been keen for his teams to play on the front foot as much as possible.
Despite being relegated from the top flight in the 2015/16 season, Norwich certainly didn’t sit back and allow teams to take the game to them.
Throughout that campaign, the Canaries averaged almost 50% possession but the lack of Premier League quality in the squad was ultimately exploited.
It was the season prior where Neil really showed what he was worth though as he led Norwich to a third place finish and a play-off triumph after taking over with the club outside the top six halfway through the season.
With Sunderland currently in the play-off places, he will be adopting a side in a better state to achieve promotion and his experience in the second tier will be essential if that is to be the case.
Neil showed during almost four years as Preston boss that he is capable of getting the most out of the players at his disposal. On two occasions, he guided them to within four points of the top six in the Championship with a relatively weak squad.
Like at Norwich beforehand, he maintained his front-foot, attacking approach throughout his tenure at Deepdale and will bring the same to the North East if appointed.
That is something that will endear him to the supporters at the Stadium of Light with offensive football a non-negotiable for many of those on the terraces.
Most recently, Neil was helping out David Artell at Hamilton in the Scottish Championship. Amid rumours that initially linked him with the job of replacing Steven Gerrard in the Rangers hotseat, Ardell gave him a glowing reference.
He told Lancashire Live back in November: "He is a terrific guy and a terrific manager. He's managed in the Scottish Premier League, the Premier League, the Championship - he's managed at a club very similar to ourselves at Hamilton and brought through players.
"He wants to help and he wants to pick up things from us, so why not while he's in between jobs because it can only help."
His desire to get back into the game in some capacity shows just how keen he is to stay in touch with the ever-evolving world of football.
Neil’s attention to detail and forensic analysis of matches and training sessions will have been what Artell wanted from the 40-year-old.
His former captain Russell Martin was very complimentary of those qualities in the build up to the successful play-off final against Middlesbrough back in 2015.
“His preparations are brilliant, there is real clarity, he leaves no stone unturned, so there are no excuses,” said the now-Swansea boss.
"His analysis of teams before the game and statistics and details mean we go into games knowing exactly what we have to do. And if you don't do it, you soon know on a Monday morning, watching the video."
It seems a very positive appointment for Sunderland to bring Neil to the club if, and when, it is announced.
The decision to hire a young, hungry coach that still has plenty to prove highlights the ambition and potential future planning of the Black Cats’ hierarchy.
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