Liam Fox is now out in front spot for the Dundee United job as the club hope to appoint a new boss before the international break.
Jack Ross departed the Tayside outfit last month after just 10 weeks in charge, and Fox has been in placed in caretaker charge since United made the call after they heavy 9-0 defeat to Celtic.
Fox has a Premier Sports Cup win over Livingston and a draw with Motherwell in the league under his belt, and the 38-year-old has been at Tannadice as a coach for the past 18-months and was a contender to take over when Tam Courts moved to Hungarians Honved.
But now the ex-Cowdenbeath boss is the frontrunner to take charge of the Tangerines on a permanent basis, with United's Sporting Director Tony Asghar keen to move quickly with the appointment, report The Sun.