Whoever eventually gets the Newcastle job will face the task of finally integrating summer signing Remy Cabella into the team after a slow start to his career on Tyneside.
The 24-year-old Frenchman struggled initially to come to terms with the pace and power of the Premier League, but there were signs in last weekend's 2-0 defeat at Chelsea that he has started to find his feet.
John Carver: "I'm not a bully, but I did threaten him before the game because I know he's got talent, he's got a huge amount of talent.
"But with talent, you have got to have hard work, like Cristiano Ronaldo does and Gareth Bale and [Lionel] Messi and all the top players."