Dundee United speak to potential managerial candidates

Thompson said the decision to get remove McNamara was a "difficult" one

Dundee United have already spoken to individuals about their managerial vacancy, chairman Stephen Thompson has told BBC Scotland.

Those spoken to are currently out of work.

Thompson would not be drawn on any potential new manager and said there is no time limit for filling the vacancy.

And the chairman added United's performance under Jackie McNamara had been reviewed by the board "for a while" before he was removed as boss.

The club confirmed McNamara's departure on Monday with United second bottom of the Scottish Premiership on five points following Saturday's 2-1 defeat by 10-man St Johnstone.

The 41-year-old had been in charge since January 2013, winning 51 and drawing 23 of his 119 games in charge.

United have won only once in the league so far this season

"We're going to have think rationally and calmly and get the right person in here to run what we believe is a great opportunity for somebody," said Thompson.

"Me, as chairman, I would not be bringing in someone that's never managed before.

"The world's a small place, they could be from anywhere in the world."

United opened this season with defeat by Aberdeen but beat Motherwell the following week.

Since that win on 8 August, the Tangerines have picked up only two draws in the league, however they have progressed to the quarter-finals of the Scottish League Cup, where they will visit Hibernian.

McNamara led United to a Scottish Cup final in 2014 and a League Cup final the following year but results overall so far in 2015 have been poor.

"The board had been discussing it ongoing for a while - where we were as a club, where we think we should be and the support we had given to the manager etc," added Thompson.

"It was very, very hard on a personal level because, as a chairman, you build a relationship with your manager. You speak two, three four times a day.

"As a board, we decided it was the right thing for the club; We feel as though we've backed him as much as we could even to the point we signed a couple of players right at the end of the transfer window.

"It's always a difficult decision to make in football."