Leeds United Owner Massimo Cellino Attacks Agents as Manager Search Continues

Leeds United owner Massimo Cellino maintains the club are "working hard" to appoint a permanent manager despite being set to enter a fourth week in search of a successor to David Hockaday.

Cellino sacked Hockaday on 28 August, 2014, following four defeats in his first six matches. There has not since been any firm movement regarding the appointment of a new boss, with a host of candidates linked with the role.

Temporary boss Neil Redfearn is unbeaten in his three matches in charge of Leeds but will not be taking over after being informed his future remains in the youth team. Despite the significant delay in assessing a new manager, Cellino insists the club are making progress.

"There are many people in football being mentioned to me and the club," said the president. "But I can say that we will not be influenced by agents.

"We have people that we want to speak to about the head coach position but this will not be done through agents.

"Leeds United is a big club and there are many people who want to be the head coach, but we have to make the right decision for Leeds United. We are working hard to make the right choice."

Former strikers Robbie Fowler and Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink, as well ex-Argentina manager Alejandro Sabella are among the candidates for the position, however Leeds are yet to substantiate these links publically.

The latest manager to rule themselves out of a move to Elland Road is Sturm Graz coach Darko Milanic, who is the new bookmakers' favourite, but club general manager Gerhard Goldbrich says no approach has been made by the Championship club.

"There were no talks, no offer, nothing," he told Sportnet. "Nobody contacted us and the same goes for Darko Milanic.

"I spoke with our manager and he said to me that these kinds of rumours are nothing new, and that he was subject to rumours all the time when he was the manager of Slovenian side Maribor."

Milanic himself added: "In football, there are always rumours. But there have been no offers to me from another club. I am 100% focused on the job at SK Sturm."