Exactly where Aberdeen go next will be fascinating. 

After almost eight years under the stewardship of Derek McInnes, the likes of Stephen Glass, Shaun Maloney and even Sven-Goran Eriksson have been linked with the Pittodrie gig as the club look to keep up with Hibernian for that coveted third spot in the Scottish Premiership. 

With many names mentioned in regards to taking over, GIVEMESPORT can exclusively reveal that Aberdeen sounded out former Celtic star Stiliyan Petrov about the prospect of taking over. 

Certainly a familiar face to Scottish fans following a glittering seven-year stint at Parkhead, the Bulgarian has little experience in the way of management but was part of Tim Sherwood's Aston Villa coaching staff back in 2015. 

The 41-year-old has previously talked about his ambition to break into the managerial world after applying for the Villa job on three separate occasions. Indeed, during an interview with The Herald back in April 2020, the Bulgarian spoke of how he'd set his sights on moving into the dugout, after also telling The Guardian in 2019 that he'd 'love to be a manager'. 

Holding a UEFA pro-licence and a Master's degree in sport management, he has been sounded out by Aberdeen in their attempts to change direction. 

An absolute icon at Celtic, he would have quite the job on his hands were he to move to Pittodrie. Six points off the pace in the race for third spot, Joe Harper of the Evening Express recently noted how the quality of player in the squad has decreased over the last few seasons. 

With things appearing to have gone stale towards the end of McIness' reign, this could be the start of a new dawn for the club.