Shane Duffy urges Blackburn Rovers to make swift managerial appointment – as new names are linked

Rovers have eight first-team players out of contract and a further three returning to their parent clubs including top-scorer Danny Graham.

But final decisions on their futures will not be made until after Paul Lambert’s successor is announced.

And Rovers centre-back Duffy said: “We need to know. We don’t want to go into the summer not knowing who we’re coming back to and what’s going to happen with the players out of contract.

“It will be better for the club, the players and for the fans to get it sorted as soon as possible.

“Don’t get me wrong some players who are out of contract will move and some will stay.

“But you want to keep your best players and we want the manager to be appointed the sooner the better so the players know what is going to happen and what way the club is going.”

Rovers have whittled down their list of potential replacements for Lambert to three names.

Hibs boss Alan Stubbs, who Duffy worked under at Everton, and Rochdale manager Keith Hill have come under serious consideration.

But Rovers director Mike Cheston insisted yesterday that the list is still open to change.

The club is also understood to have weighed up the merits of former Leeds United and Rotherham United boss Neil Redfearn.

While Neil Warnock, who led Rotherham to Championship safety after taking over from Redfearn in February, remains among the bookies’ favourites.

But, while his is a name that Rovers have discussed, it is not until next week that Warnock will confirm whether he is staying with the Millers.

And last night there were reports linking ex-QPR manager Luigi De Canio with the vacant Ewood Park post.

The 58-year-old Italian, who had 35 league matches in charge of the Hoops during the 2007-08 season, is currently manager of Serie A side Udinese.

Yesterday Hartlepool United boss Craig Hignett commented after bookmakers made him the favourite to become the next Rovers manager.

Hignett, who scored 14 goals in 68 games at Ewood between 2000 and 2003, said: “I don’t know where all this has come from.

“I haven’t had any contact from Blackburn and neither have the club. It’s a non-story.

“I didn’t feel I had the need to say anything about it, someone must have put some money on me!

“It’s nice to be linked but, as far as I’m aware, there is nothing going on.”

Despite those comments, it is believed Hignett is not completely out of the Rovers running, while it is also understood that Chris Wilder was another name discussed by the club.

But on Thursday Wilder took charge at his boyhood club Sheffield United after steering Northampton Town to the League Two title.

And, speaking at his Blades unveiling yesterday, he said: “There were other offers even up until yesterday, there were a couple of calls that were made but when this club comes calling there was only one decision and you only get an opportunity to manage this club once and I was going to definitely take it.

“I’ve made brave decisions in my career as a manager and this is a brave one. I could have quite easily taken an easy way out and gone to another club and possibly talked to a couple of Championship clubs but I don’t think I’d have been able to sleep at night knowing that I’d turned this opportunity down.”