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Newcastle United’s new head coach may be in place by the end of next week with the Magpies having whittled down a long list of candidates over the course of a week spent re-assessing their options.

With Mike Ashley in Newcastle for the Sports Direct conference this week, United’s top brass have been in discussions for most of a busy six days since survival was assured – and the club are hopeful of definitive progress in the early weeks of June.

Although a decision is not imminent – and definitely won’t be announced over the weekend – United have whittled down a new long list of candidates to just three or four names, and it is now understood that John Carver is likely to revert to his coaching role as a new name takes over.

The former head coach is now on holiday and will speak to managing director Lee Charnley again when he returns but he is not understood to be a strong contender for the role. Instead Newcastle – bruised and battered by what has happened in the last five months – are looking to someone new to take them into next season.

Carver’s five months in charge were sold as an opportunity to prove his worth for the role but results were not good enough and Newcastle clearly need a new voice – especially as considerable recruitment is expected this summer.

The reason for this week’s delay is that United do not want to be in a position where they pick the wrong man for the model they have set out. The blueprint for the head coach role, set out by Charnley back in January, is the same as it was back then, and Newcastle want to be able to hand their new man a long-term remit.

Who that man is remains to be seen with many of the names linked now drifting out of contention for a number of reasons. Although the soundings around Steve McClaren have been decidedly lukewarm of late, he is understood to be one of the names under consideration and he is now a free agent following his Derby departure.

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Real Madrid assistant manager Paul Clement and David Moyes – currently at Real Sociedad – are other possibilities who have knowledge of English football, seen as a sizeable advantage by United.

There is, however, no truth in French reports that Jocelyn Gourvennec of Guingamp is one of the names on the shortlist.

Christophe Galtier of St Etienne is not a contender while Remi Garde’s chances also seem to have drifted. A shock link with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, touted in a national newspaper earlier this week, can also be dismissed.

An intriguing option has emerged in former Swansea boss Michael Laudrup, who is understood to be keen on the role and has left Qatar Stars League outfit Lekhwiya Sports Club this week.

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Laudrup won the League Cup with the Swans and won praise for the way his team played, but there would be concerns over how much control he would demand over recruitment. Newcastle’s model will see responsibility for that shared, just as it was under Alan Pardew.

Laudrup said earlier this month: “If a big club comes (calling), I will not say no to them. It’s a time when many rumours appear, but there is nothing concrete.

“I am not going to accept an offer from a mid-table club in England or Spain. They are experiences that I have already lived and, at this stage of my life as a coach, I look for new things.”