A Stockport County coach's dream move to Real Madrid is hanging in the balance over a work permit, according to a report.
Andy Mangan, 38, has been a coach at County for a matter of months after joining the club in July on the back of their promotion to League One with a focus on coaching the attacking players.
Mangan has played a key role in Stockport's strong start to the season, with three wins from four sending them top of the table prior to the weekend. They now trail Wrexham by three points with a game in hand.
Now, however, he could end up staying in England after being denied a work permit to move to Spain, according to The Sunday Times.
Mangan thought he had landed the dream gig due to his close friendship with Davide Ancelotti (left), son of Carlo (right)
The Athletic claimed that Carlo and Davide Ancelotti were on the lookout for an English coach with experience in the EFL and Mangan was recommended to the boss.
It was also thought that Davide was set to take the 38-year-old with him as his No 2 when he decided to begin his own managerial career away from Madrid.
No set date had been placed on Mangan's arrival but his potential hiring represented Madrid's efforts to refresh their coaching set-up after three years under Ancelotti.
Mangan made more than 300 appearances in the third, fourth and fifth tiers in England during his playing career, representing Fleetwood Town and Wrexham among others.
After hanging up his boots in 2018, he has coached at several clubs. Mangan joined the coaching staff at Fleetwood in 2019 and followed Joey Barton to Bristol Rovers in 2021. He also spent a brief stint in caretaker charge in 2023.
Having completed his coaching course alongside Davide, Mangan is seen as the ideal candidate to help reinvigorate the team at Madrid.
The Athletic added that Carlo and Davide's interest in specialist coaches developed during their time in England and Mangan appeared to fit the bill.
Madrid are second in LaLiga after winning two and drawing two of their first four fixtures. They will return to action against Real Sociedad after the international break.
He appeared to fit the bill of what Ancelotti had been looking for, but has reportedly been denied a work permit
Despite their stuttering start to the campaign, Ancelotti looked to focus on the positives after last weekend's 2-0 victory against Real Betis.
'We aren’t worried,' he told reporters. 'We have drawn two games.
'We are very excited and motivated to try to do better. We did do better and we deserved to win. We were more supportive of one other.