Spain Draw Up List of Three Candidates to Become National Team Manager After World Cup Nightmare

After sacking manager Julen Lopetegui on the eve of the World Cup, exiting in the round of 16 at the hands of Russia meant Spain will do all they can to move on from the current iteration of the tournament.

Director of Football Fernando Hierro was temporarily put in charge for the tournament, but it now appears as though Spain have created a shortlist of the potential candidates to lead the team on a permanent basis.

According to Marca, Spain will decide between Michel, Quique Sanchez Flores and Luis Enrique.

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The Royal Spanish Football Federation are looking for a young, Spanish manager who is currently without a club, meaning the three aforementioned candidates are all well suited for the role.

Marca report the results of a poll amongst 150,000 Spanish fans, asking who they would prefer to become manager of their country. With 38% of the votes, it appears that former Barcelona manager Luis Enrique is their preferred choice.

Former Malaga manager Michel, who spent 20 years as a Real Madrid player between 1976 and 1996, received 11% of the votes, whilst former Watford and Espanyol manager Quique Sanchez Flores received 10% of the vote.

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The process of hiring a new manager will not be a quick one, as President of the Spanish football federation plans to discuss the candidates with the key figures in the organisation, to ensure that everybody can agree on the perfect candidate.

Temporary manager Fernando Hierro will be offered a return to his role as Director of Football for the country.

Spain believe Lopetegui betrayed their trust, as he negotiated with Real Madrid without informing anyone involved with the Spanish team, with Marca claiming that Spain were only informed of Lopetegui's decision five minutes before he was officially unveiled as the new Real Madrid manager.

For this reason, the interview procedure will have several stages, as Spain attempt to understand the personality and ambition of each candidate. 

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Spain will be hoping to move on from this difficult period as soon as possible, with the Nations League and qualification for the 2020 European Championships coming up. Regardless of who is in charge, Spain will be hoping for a much better showing in Qatar in 2022.