Southend United want to hire Celtic and Sweden legend Henrik Larsson as their new manager.

The League One side have been without a boss since Kevin Bond resigned two weeks ago. They remain winless and sit inside the relegation zone after seven defeats and a draw.

Larsson, who also played for Barcelona and Manchester United, has yet to manage outside of Sweden but is now considering whether Southend would be a good fit for him.

Southend want football legend Henrik Larsson to become their next permanent manager

The 47-year-old was previously manager of Helsingborgs but left his post last month over the alleged level of ‘verbal insults’ he was receiving. He had only taken over the Swedish side in June.

That was his second spell at the club. In his first, Larsson and his son, Jordan, were confronted by their own supporters after their relegation from the Swedish first division was confirmed.

Footage of that incident shows Helsingborgs fans running on to the pitch and ripping the shirt off Larsson’s son. Other clubs he has coached include Landskrona and Falkenbergs.

Larsson has experience at the helm but is yet to manage outside of his native Sweden

Southend have been without a manager since Kevin Bond resigned two weeks ago

Southend only avoided relegation last season on goal difference. Bond saved them but quit after his side failed to show any signs of form at the start of the current campaign.

Defending has been a particular problem, and it remains to be seen whether Larsson will accept the invite to take over and try to lift them to safety.

As a player, Larsson became a Celtic legend, scoring 174 goals in 221 Scottish Premiership games. In 2004 he joined Barcelona, where he won the Champions League.

The Swedish great also briefly played for Manchester United. He joined them on loan in 2006-07 and appeared seven times in the Premier League as they won the title.