McINNES IN FRAME FOR SCOTLAND

ABERDEEN’S Derek McInnes has emerged as the favourite to become manager of Scotland following the sacking of Alex McLeish yesterday. McLeish, appointed for a second spell 14 months ago, has paid for last month’s humiliating Euro 2020 qualifying defeat in Kazakhstan. Scotland secured a play-off spot after winning their Nations League group but the SFA felt a change was necessary to ‘reinvigorate the campaign’.

NEWCASTLE UNITED will tell manager Rafa Benitez he can break the club’s transfer record this summer but want his future sorted soon. The club’s accounts revealed a profit of £18.6million for the year ending June 2018 and a transfer budget of around £50m is likely. Owner Mike Ashley is happy for that to be spent on two players so the £21m record signing of Miguel Almiron will be beaten.

CONTRIBUTORS: Craig Hope and Riath Al-Samarrai