Ryan Mason is unlikely to be given the Tottenham Hotspur job on a full-time basis, according to football.london.
What are the latest rumours involving Tottenham's next manager?
A report on the back page of the print edition of The Sunday People suggested the 29-year-old was emerging as a serious contender for the vacant role after impressing chairman Daniel Levy along with technical director Steve Hitchen.
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Indeed, Levy was said to believe Mason would be a popular appointment with the support - some of whom have called for the chairman's removal recently - though the football.london report shares some more insight.
They claim the idea of making him the club's permanent manager at this stage of his career is unlikely given there are reportedly concerns as to whether or not he's an established enough managerial name to attract illustrious names in the transfer market.
Clearly, that is not a knock on Mason, but it is tough to imagine big-name potential signings getting excited about working with a relative novice, particularly considering Spurs may not even make the Champions League.
Who else has been linked?
The Sun's Alan Nixon recently suggested Spurs were using Mason's period in charge to assess whether managers currently in work would be keen on a move, with the likes of Roberto Martinez, Brendan Rodgers and Nuno Espirito Santo mooted as potential targets.
GIVEMESPORT understand Rangers manager Steven Gerrard is not a target despite previous reports to the contrary.
What does Levy want?
Both The Guardian and The Daily Mail have claimed the Spurs chairman is keen to appoint an attack-minded manager and, given the embarrassment of riches Spurs have up front, it's easy to see why.
Gareth Bale has scored eight goals in his last eight Premier League games while Harry Kane and Heung-min Son have hit double figures this season with the former leading the goalscoring charts.
That's without even mentioning Dele Alli, one of the elite forwards on these shores a few seasons ago, who has recently come back into the team following Jose Mourinho's dismissal.
What have the players said about Ryan Mason?
Bale praised his former teammate when speaking to Sky Sports following his hat-trick against Sheffield United on Sunday.
"From the first whistle, I felt we were on the front foot and got control of it and played some good football," he said (via EuroSport).
"I feel like we are taking a step in the right direction and playing more like the Tottenham way."
Meanwhile, Toby Alderweireld also spoke of the element of positivity Mason brought with him.
“Everyone knows he played at Spurs under Pochettino, he has a lot of ideas from him and we only can agree that’s very good," he said (via The Guardian).
"Everyone was performing very well under Pochettino and so Ryan’s mind in football is positive – it’s going forward and everyone is seeing his ideas. Even though it’s quite early, it’s a positive vibe he brings.”