The appeal of Blackburn Rovers became apparent yesterday when it emerged that the club had attracted more than 40 applicants for the vacant manager’s job, although having whittled that down to a handful of candidates, John Williams, the chairman, will step up his search for Mark Hughes’s successor today.

Williams spent much of yesterday in discussions with his fellow Blackburn directors and would not be drawn as to the names on his shortlist, but it is thought to feature Alan Shearer, the former Blackburn striker, Paul Ince, the Milton Keynes Dons manager, and Henning Berg, the Lyn Oslo coach and former Blackburn defender, who has emerged as a dark horse for the job.

It is unclear whether Williams has a principal target in mind, but the chairman is likely to give all candidates a chance to argue their cases this week. Williams would like to have a manager in place by the end of the week, but the process could take longer.

Blackburn supporters have made no secret that they would like Shearer, whose goals helped the club to the Premier League title in 1995, to succeed Hughes. Sources close to Shearer have indicated that the former England striker is desperate to return to football, despite pursuing a successful media career since his retirement in 2006, but he may face stiff competition from Berg.

The Lyn Oslo coach, who made 296 appearances during two periods with Blackburn and was part of the championship-winning team alongside Shearer, has impressed since taking charge of the Norwegian club in 2005. Williams is known to favour the appointment of a talented young manager and Berg, like Ince, would fit that bill.