STEVE Cotterill will be formally unveiled as Burnley manager later this week.

I can reveal that the Clarets have finally chosen their man after four weeks of intense speculation.

And chairman Barry Kilby is now planning to reveal the former Cheltenham and Stoke boss at a press conference, probably on Thursday.

Cotterill, 39, has been itching to get back into management since leaving his post as assistant manager to Howard Wilkinson at Sunderland 15 months ago.

Since then he has operated behind the scenes helping Micky Adams at Leicester - a role that ended just a few weeks ago following the Foxes relegation from the Premiership.

But the highly-rated coach has since emerged as the one outstanding candidate from a strong list of nine names interviewed for the Turf Moor vacancy.

Assistant Bolton boss Phil Brown was also being strongly considered, but Burnley have clearly plumped for the greater experience Cotterill has gained in over 250 games as a manager in his own right.

Cotterill first made his move into management at Irish outfit Sligo Rovers following a playing career that was cut short by a knee injury.

He returned to then Southern League Cheltenham as player in 1996 and was appointed caretaker manager the following year.

In 1999 he guided the club into the Football league, where in their first full season they narrowly missed out on the play-offs.

Two years later, after finally winning promotion to Division Two, Cotterill unexpectedly quit to take charge of Stoke.

However, after just 13 games at the helm - in a move that still angers many Potters fans - ambition led him to quit and become Wilkinson's right-hand man at The Stadium of Light.

The move ended in failure after only five months when both men were dismissed as Sunderland headed for relegation out of the top flight.

But that taste of failure will clearly hurt one of the most ambitious young coaches in the game, who now needs to re-establish himself as a capable manager.

Cotterill will now get that chance at Burnley.

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