DETAILED: Why Portsmouth are considering ex-West Ham, MK Dons and Ipswich man as next head coach

Although claims the Blues’ interest is being driven by chief executive Andy Cullen having worked with him at MK Dons are wide of the mark.

Cullen had been at Pompey for three months before Manning was appointed as the Dons’ head coach in August 2021.

Indeed, sitting manager Russell Martin was still 80 days away from becoming Swansea boss when MK Dons’ executive director left for Fratton Park as Mark Catlin’s replacement.

Instead, consideration of Manning is based upon an impressive coaching background which began at Ipswich in 2006 and would progress to his appointment as head of coaching in West Ham’s Academy.

In April 2019, he moved to the United States having been named director of coaching for New York City’s Academy, before earning promotion to Academy director, leading them to a second successive under-19 National Championship.

Just a year later – in July 2020 – he was appointed head coach at Belgian side Lommel SK, guiding them to third in First Division B in 2020-21, with Christian Burgess’ Royale Union Saint-Gilloise topping the table.

It represented an instant raising of standards for a side which the previous campaign finished sixth of eight, having won six of their 28 matches, scoring just 21 times.

Again it would prove to be a short stay, with Manning returning to England 13 months later to replace Martin in August 2021, taking on the guise of MK Dons’ first head coach.

They finished last season in third place with 89 points, following a remarkable run of 15 wins in 22 league games since the turn of the year, thereby qualifying for the League One play-offs.

MK Dons were eliminated by Wycombe at the semi-final stage in an aggregate 2-1 scoreline, with the Chairboys subsequently losing the final to Sunderland.

Critically during Manning’s reign, since January 2022 he oversaw the exits of four players to the Championship and one to the Scottish Premiership – Scott Twine (Burnley), Andrew Fisher (Swansea), Matt O’Riley (Celtic), Harry Darling (Swansea) and David Kasumu (Huddersfield).

All were at the club before Manning’s arrival, nonetheless he warrants credit for their eye-catching development, with all having played integral parts in an impressive Dons season.

However, for 2022-23, replacing such talent has proven a struggle, despite the summer recruitment of Irish pair Darragh Burns and Dawson Devoy, Will Grigg from Sunderland and Blackburn’s Bradley Johnson.

They also utilised the loan market to bring in Premier League quartet Jame Cumming (Chelsea), Daniel Oyegoke (Brentford), Henry Lawrence (Chelsea) and Louis Barry (Villa).

For Manning, though, the campaign started disastrously, with 10 defeats from their opening 14 matches in League One.

By December, after slipping to 23rd following a 2-1 home defeat to Fleetwood, Manning was dismissed.

Just seven days later they visited Fratton Park under interim head coach Dean Lewington – and collected a first league win for almost two months.

MK Dons are currently 23rd, having picked up three points from their subsequent three league matches – while their former boss is interesting the Blues.