Paul Ince is expected to be named as the new manager of Blackburn Rovers in the next 72 hours, becoming the first black Briton to take charge of a top-flight team in England. His appointment will have to be ratified by the Premier League, though, which will demand to know why the former England captain has failed to secure any of the necessary coaching qualifications and why he dropped out of a management course at Warwick University.

Under Premier League regulations, managers in the top division are required to hold the Uefa Pro Licence qualification - or at least to be in the process of trying to obtain it - but it is understood that Ince, the Milton Keynes Dons manager, does not have the Uefa A Licence, which is one level below the Pro Licence, and it is not even clear that he has the Uefa B Licence. In recent years, the Premier League has permitted the appointments of Avram Grant at Chelsea, Gareth Southgate at Middlesbrough and Glenn Roeder at Newcastle United, even though they did not hold the Uefa Pro Licence, but the expected appointment of Ince at Blackburn will require the body to turn a blind eye to its own rulebook.

Blackburn are aware of the situation and, having interviewed other candidates such as Sam Allardyce - who this morning, withdrew his application for the position - Steve McClaren, Henk ten Cate and Michael Laudrup, have spoken to the Premier League to seek clarification over the issue. The Lancashire club's board regards Ince as an outstanding manager, after his success in CocaCola League Two, steering Macclesfield Town out of relegation danger before leading MK Dons to promotion, and believe that he would be an ideal successor to Mark Hughes, his former Manchester United team-mate, who left Ewood Park this month to take over at Manchester City.

It is a sensitive situation for the Premier League, not least because taking a hardline stance against Ince, having waived the rules for Southgate and Roeder, would almost certainly lead to allegations ranging from double standards to racism. It is firmly expected to approve his appointment at Blackburn if asked to do so, but it will ask Ince to explain why he failed to complete a management diploma at Warwick Business School that he started in the summer of 2006 while still a player at Wolverhampton Wanderers. The league will demand that Ince takes steps to ensure that he earns those qualifications over the coming years.

Ince, 40, is likely to be supported by the League Managers Association (LMA), which, having made clear its disapproval of the appointments of Southgate at Middlesbrough and Roeder at Newcastle, has suggested that it would be willing to give its backing to Ince. “It is a Premier League rule,” Richard Bevan, the LMA's chief executive, said. “The Premier League has made exceptions to it in the past and that is up to them. From our perspective, if any manager wants help to get qualifications, we are there to help. We would support Paul Ince if he got the Blackburn job.”

It was seemingly with the Blackburn job in mind that Ince visited Aberystwyth University on Wednesday to observe a Uefa A Licence course that was being run by the FA of Wales.

An appointment is expected at Ewood Park within days, but John Williams, the Blackburn chairman, remains secretive over the recruitment process, even though he is believed to have held talks with MK Dons about Ince. “We are now down to a small shortlist,” Williams said. “I am delighted with how the process is going and we hope to make a decision by the weekend.”

Whoever is appointed, they will immediately face serious challenges at Ewood Park, with David Bentley, the England winger, having stated his intention to leave the club. Bentley hopes to move to a club that can offer him Champions League football, but he is likely, too, to consider moves to Aston Villa, Manchester City or Tottenham Hotspur rather than sign a new contract with Blackburn.

McClaren to go Dutch

Steve McClaren will be confirmed as coach of FC Twente today after deciding to restore his reputation abroad. The former England head coach had been interviewed for the vacancy at Blackburn Rovers, but has opted for the Dutch club, who are two qualifying games away from the Champions League group stage.

McClaren had initially turned down the offer from Twente for family reasons, but, having resolved those concerns, he is set to sign a two-year contract and move to the Netherlands. Twente clinched a place in the Champions League third qualifying round through a play-off system and McClaren, who led Middlesbrough to the final of the Uefa Cup in 2006, will hope to secure some high-profile European matches, as well as taking on Ajax and PSV Eindhoven in the domestic league.

McClaren has been out of work since the FA dismissed him after England failed to reach Euro 2008. He will hope that moving abroad will rebuild his credibility after the damage of the England campaign.