Preston North End's Lancashire rivals 'advancing in talks' to appoint new manager
Burnley have been without a permanent boss since April.
One of Preston North End’s local rivals look set to appoint a new manager as they prepare for their return to Championship football.
Burnley have been searching for a new boss since Scott Parker left his role as head coach at the end of April, shortly after their relegation from the Premier League was confirmed.
The Clarets appointed ex-PNE defender Michael Jackson as interim head coach while they looked for Parker’s successor. It has, however, been a drawn-out process and their prospective appointment seems far from Burnley’s first choice.
Reports last month claimed they had failed in their pursuits of Wales boss Craig Bellamy and former Wolves and Middlesbrough head coach Rob Edwards. With the squad already back in pre-season training, their 2026/27 preparations get underway this weekend in Cincinnati as part of a US tour.
Now, it finally looks as though they have made progress. Football Insider correspondent Pete O’Rourke reports that Burnley are ‘advancing in talks’ to appoint KRC Genk’s Nicky Hayen as their new boss.
Hayen, who has been at Genk since last December, previously enjoyed a successful spell at Club Brugge. He is a highly-regarded coach in Belgium and won the country’s ‘Golden Shoe Coach of the Year’ award in 2024.
During his time at Club Brugge, he guided them to a Belgian Pro League title win as well as their domestic cup and Super Cup. He also led them to the Champions League Round of 16 in the 2024/25 season.
Hayen has previously managed in the UK, taking charge of Cymru Premier side Haverfordwest County between December 2021 and June 2022, before leaving Wales to coach Club Brugge’s under-23s. He was also linked to the Celtic vacancy following Brendan Rodgers’ departure last October.
PNE take on Burnley at Turf Moor on December 5, before the reverse fixture at Deepdale on March 16.