Aberdeen under-20 coach Paul Sheerin has edged a step closer to becoming Caley Thistle manager after the Dons gave Inverness permission to speak to him about the vacant position at Caledonian Stadium.
Sheerin, who played for Inverness from 1998 to 2001, will meet Inverness officials on Thursday as the Championship club steps up its hunt for Richie Foran’s successor.
The former Caley Jags midfielder, 42, faces competition from former assistant manager Maurice Malpas for the job as Inverness will also interviewing him for the role. However, interest in Queen’s Park head coach Gus MacPherson has cooled.
MacPherson was in the frame last week in the aftermath of Foran leaving but the former St Mirren and Queen of the South manager is focusing on preparing the Spiders for next season.
With MacPherson dropping out of the running, Sheerin and Malpas are now the frontrunners for the role as Inverness escalate their search for a new manager.
The Caley Jags players are due to return at the end of the month for pre-season training, with the club facing Elgin on July 8 before competing in the Betfred Cup group stage from July 15.
Inverness have been drawn with Falkirk, Stirling Albion, Brechin City and Forfar Athletic in Group A and will play the four clubs in a fortnight in a series of round-robin matches. There are eight groups with the eight group winners and four best second-placed clubs progressing to the knockout stages.