Could Blackpool be reunited with former boss Terry McPhillips in FA Cup tie against Morecambe?

And it’s understood former Blackpool boss Terry McPhillips is one of the candidates to have spoken to the club and is said to be in the frame.

McPhillips, who stood down from his role as Pool manager during the summer, is said to be actively pursuing a return to management.

That’s despite the 51-year-old citing a lack of interest in being a manager, saying he only took on the role at Bloomfield Road to bring some stability in the wake of Gary Bowyer’s shock departure.

McPhillips led the Seasiders to a 10th place finish in League One last season in what was his first job in management.

Morecambe co-chairman Rod Taylor, speaking to BBC Radio Lancashire today, said the club are unlikely to have a new boss installed for Saturday’s FA Cup first round tie at Bloomfield Road.

He did, however, concede “anything can happen in football”.

“We’ve received dozens of applications for the position of manager,” Taylor said.

“Some from the world of Premier League football with ex-Premier League players and then right across the spectrum.

“We’ve interviewed this week and we’ve whittled it down to a shortlist and we’ve got a couple of candidates in mind and we’ll see where we go from here.

“It’s been a tough few days. We haven’t advertised for a manager for 25 years, so it’s been something different for Morecambe.

“We’re talking to the candidates we’ve identified at the moment. It could be any day, but having said that I don’t think there will be anyone in place for the Blackpool game on Saturday.

“I think we’ll let Barry Roche and Kevin Ellison continue as the reports from the training ground have been good.

“Having said that, you know what football is like, it can change by the hour. But we’ve got a process in place and we’ll see where we get to.”

McPhillips is currently second favourite for the job with SkyBet, with current caretaker Barry Roche the bookes' favourite.

Kevin Nolan, Brian McDermott and Paul Ince are also included in the betting, as are Kevin Ellison and Stewart Drummond.

Bentley left his role to take the manager’s job at AFC Fylde after 17 years at Morecambe as a player and manager.