Owner wants experienced boss to fill the hotseat at Tynecastle

Hearts owner Ann Budge is in the hunt for a “very experienced and high-profile manager”.

Roy Keane and David Moyes are among the favourites to replace the sacked Craig Levein behind the early front-runner, Motherwell’s Stephen Robinson.

Hearts have moved away from appointing up-and-coming head coaches after Robbie Neilson’s successful debut stint was followed by a failed Ian Cathro experiment.

And Budge will not shy away from appointing a big name.

While pointing out it was the media who were linking Keane and Moyes to the role, she feels it is realistic that someone of that ilk could take over.

She said: “I don’t see why not. Look at some of the other managers we have in Scotland at the moment. A few years ago we would have been questioning whether that was possible.

“Hearts is no different. We want to be competing with the top clubs in Scotland and to do that I want to ensure we get a very experienced and highprofile manager.”

Robinson is believed to be high on Hearts’ list of potential targets but Budge denied they had their sights set on anyone in particular with caretaker boss Austin MacPhee set to continue in his role for Saturday’s visit of St Mirren.

“I’m in no hurry, it’s not that we have someone in our sights despite what some of the media have been saying,” Budge said.

“I want to go through the process rigorously and thoroughly and explore a lot of avenues. So the net will be cast quite wide.”

MacPhee has never been a manager and the 40-year-old started his temporary role with a 3-0 defeat by Rangers in the Betfred Cup semi-finals.

But Budge said: “He is definitely a contender. He is the interim manager and did it very well when he did it before.

“He has a lot of experience, not of managing first teams but still a lot of experience, so I’m not ruling Austin out.

“He knows what he has to do to strengthen his case.”

Budge will seek advice from outside her boardroom.

“We have our own nominations group but we will be taking advice from football experts,” she said.

“One thing I will make clear is that Craig is not part of that process.”

Sacked boss Craig Levein.