Aberdeen’s search for a new manager is “ongoing” with the club “unlikely” to make an appointment this week, according to chief executive Alan Burrows.
That is despite outlining in a statement on March 11 that the club hoped to name Neil Warnock’s replacement during this international break.
However, Burrows has insisted the club are now “entering the very final stages” of their search.
Warnock stepped down as interim boss earlier this month, lasting just 34 days at Pittodrie. The 75-year-old had replaced Barry Robson on February 5 in a move designed to last until the end of this season.
First-team coach Peter Leven remains in interim charge with the Dons now ninth in the Scottish Premiership – just three points clear of the relegation playoff place.
Aberdeen face 11th-placed Ross County on Saturday at Pittodrie, then bottom club Livingston and Dundee before the league split, with a Scottish Cup semi-final at Hampden Park against Celtic coming up on April 20.
Speaking to the club’s TV channel, Burrows said: “The search for a new manager is ongoing. I would like to think it is now entering the very final stages.
“We said a couple of weeks ago we hoped to appoint a manager during the international break. It looks unlikely unfortunately that will happen during the international break but what I will say and want to reemphasise is that it’s absolutely important we get this appointment right rather than quick.
Peter Leven is in interim charge of the club ahead of Saturday’s game against Ross County
“And whilst this whole process has gone on longer than anyone would have hoped or anticipated, the key focus for us to ensure the accuracy of the appointment is right in the long term for Aberdeen Football Club.
“Rather than panicking just to get us through a timescale, it’s important to get it right but hopefully the process isn’t going to take too much longer now.”
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When asked about the club’s statement on March 11 when it was said they would name Warnock’s replacement during the international break, Burrows added: “At the time, we said that we had that expectation but the reality is that during this process, things happen all the time – some you expect and some you don’t expect – and you have to react to that. And that’s what we’ve had to do.
“We’ve had to ensure that we didn’t lose focus on what’s important. That is getting the right appointment for Aberdeen and we also had to ensure we didn’t lessen ourselves because we’re under the pressure of time.
“But at the time, we said that and went public with that, it was on the back of Neil leaving the club and we thought at that particular time that things were ready to finalise.
“As these things always do, some things come along you need to react to and we’re still there at that particular point but we’re still hopeful that the person we’ve earmarked and identified is someone we can appoint to the Aberdeen manager role very, very soon.”
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