The early favourites to be the next Blackburn Rovers manager after confirmation O’Neill will not return | OneFootball

Blackburn Rovers are on the hunt for a new manager after it was confirmed that Michael O’Neill would not be taking the job on a permanent basis.

O’Neill took charge of the club in February, balancing it with his role as head coach of the Northern Ireland national team, and guided Rovers to safety.

But he will now return to his role as Northern Ireland boss. Here are the early favourites to replace O’Neill at Blackburn…

Gary Rowett

Rowett is currently out in front as the early favourite to become the new Blackburn boss.

He took charge of Leicester City in February but was unable to steer them to Championship survival, and there is speculation as to whether he will stay at the club for their League One campaign.

It might not have gone to plan for Rowett at Leicester, but he has a wealth of experience managing Championship clubs, with spells at Oxford United, Birmingham City, Millwall and Stoke City.

David Wagner

Former Norwich City and Huddersfield Town boss David Wagner is also believed to be a contender. His last managerial job came at Norwich, where he departed in 2024. He previously guided Huddersfield to the Premier League and also kept them up for one season.

Slaven Bilic

Bilic is most known for his spell at West Ham, where he secured Europa League qualification and was a popular figure in east London. He has also had spells in charge of the Croatia national team, West Brom, Watford and more.

Tony Mowbray

Mowbray is being touted with a return to the club he previously managed for five years, where he won promotion back to the Championship and stabilised the club in the second tier once again. His last job was at West Bromwich Albion.

Graham Alexander

The Bradford City boss has done a tremendous job at the League One club, who are currently battling for promotion to the Championship via the play-offs.