A former Leeds United manager has advised the club to appoint either Steve Bruce or Mick McCarthy as the new boss, after Paul Heckingbottom was sacked on Friday.

Steve Evans, who was in charge for just over seven months at Elland Road in the 2015/16 season, was talking about the rumours regarding Marcelo Bielsa but believes the Yorkshire club should go with a manager with more Championship experience.

Bielsa has shockingly been installed as the bookies’ favourite to replace Heckingbottom after the Leeds board took the decision to relieve him of his duties on Friday afternoon.

Evans believes it would be the wrong decision saying: “They’re perhaps going to an Argentinian (Bielsa). I think his reputation in the game on a worldwide basis is phenomenal. But will he know what it’s like going to the New York Stadium in Rotherham on a Tuesday night? I’m not so sure.”

Bielsa has plenty of experience on the continental stage with time at Olympique Marseille as well as the Argentine national team on his resume, but a couple of British stalwarts are more like what Evans is thinking.

“I’m looking at Steve Bruce and Mick McCarthy – English managers with track records of getting out of the Championship – and why are they not knocking on those doors?”

He continued: “You would think the Leeds fans would be ecstatic if one of them is appointed. The British guys know the league and they know how to get out of it.”

Evans also discussed Heckingbottom’s sacking and revealed that he spoke to the Englishman prior to taking the job.

“I said ‘you may only get to the summer’”, Evans said. “He had done such a fantastic job at Barnsley it was a career risk to choose Leeds. But when Leeds come knocking you have to go. It’s one of the top six clubs in English football and perhaps one of the top twelve in world football.”

“He went there and he played the game of risk. When the results aren’t what they should be then you’re going to pay a price at Elland Road – more than anywhere else than in world football perhaps.”