Aberdeen’s search for a new head coach has been delayed by “unforeseen circumstances”, with chairman Dave Cormack stressing the club “mustn’t rush or compromise” an appointment.<\/p>\n
Peter Leven has been in interim charge since the departure of Jimmy Thelin on 4 January.<\/p>\n
The Dons sit eighth in the Scottish Premiership, having lost five of the six league games overseen by Leven.<\/p>\n
However, the Scottish Cup holders have progressed to the quarter-finals of the competition with wins over Raith Rovers and Motherwell.<\/p>\n
How badly do ‘depressing’ Aberdeen need a manager?<\/a>Dundee overcome 10-man Aberdeen in Pittodrie epic<\/a><\/p>\n Eirik Horneland was strongly linked with a move to Pittodrie after losing his job at French Ligue 2 club Saint-Etienne at the end of January.<\/p>\n But the return of former assistant manager Tony Docherty on 13 February suggested a permanent appointment is still some way off.<\/p>\n Cormack says sporting director Lutz Pfannenstiel had talks with “several strong candidates from both the UK and overseas”.<\/p>\n The chairman went on to explain that “most candidates were not available to begin work immediately”.<\/p>\n Via a statement, he said: “Increasingly, coaches want a full pre-season to properly implement their ideas and philosophy, particularly those relocating from abroad.<\/p>\n “Due to unforeseen circumstances the final stage of the process is taking longer than we expected.<\/p>\n “Make no mistake, we are determined to secure the right head coach, someone who can provide stability and long-term success for Aberdeen FC.”<\/p>\n Visit our Aberdeen page for all the latest news, analysis and fan views<\/a>Get Aberdeen news notifications in the BBC Sport app<\/a><\/p>\n