Crewe caretaker boss Dario Gradi has admitted that former manager Steve Holland is unlikely to make a return to the Railwaymen.Holland had been asked to continue in some capacity once he returns from a family holiday, but Gradi has revealed he does not expect that to happen and admits a new manager could be found in not so distant future.

"I have accepted that it is unlikely that Steve will come back as a coach after all that has gone on. We would like him too, but I don't think it would sit easy with the ones who wanted him out in the first place.

"If we had been able to win some games then it could have been easier, but although we have shown improvement, we still haven't been able to achieve that win in the league.

"I don't envisage myself being in the job in the New Year, but we'll take our time to make sure we get the right candidate. Work is ongoing all the time and we are all talking to people within the game and are looking over the applications as a board.

"Once we feel we have a few strong candidates then we will start the interviewing process. We are making progress on that, but the chairman is handling that more than I am."

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