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Alejandro Sabella has emerged as a shock front-runner to become the new boss at Leeds.

Sabella, who quit as Argentina manager following their defeat by Germany in this summer’s World Cup Final, is on Elland Road owner Massimo Cellino’s wish-list after caretaker chief Neil Redfearn was ruled out of the running to replace the sacked Dave Hockaday.

Sabella,59, is eyeing-up a return to the fallen Yorkshire giants - 33 years after ending a nightmare 19-month spell with them as a player.

The former midfielder made just 23 appearances for the Whites after joining as a £400,000 capture from Sheffield United in May 1980 before being off-loaded to Estudiantes.

But he revealed last night: "The Leeds situation is intriguing, and I feel I have unfinished business with that club.”

Sabella will be considered for the Leeds job - along with former Middlesbrough and Portsmouth defender Gianluca Festa - after Cellino decided he needed academy manager Redfearn to keep on developing the club’s young talent.

Cellino explained: "Neil’s very busy with the academy, and I need him to continue in that job.

“He is an outstanding coach, a guy who knows how good teams should play, but it would do too much damage to the academy if he stays as head coach.

“The players like and respect Neil, and so do I. So he will carry on being involved with the first team in some way.

“But, what I’m thinking for the first team, is to bring in a foreign coach, an international coach, who I can work with.”