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Sebastien Pocognoli set for Scotland manager job as former Belgium star scores highly with SFA chiefs Pocognoli delivered a first title for Tony Bloom's Union Saint-Gilloise in 90 years and has impressed Ian Maxwell and Craig Mulholland in interviews Sebastien Pocognoli is set to be named as Scotland's new manager. The former Belgium international won 13 caps for his country and led Tony Bloom-backed Union Saint-Gilloise to their first top flight title for 90 years. And he's now the leading candidate to replace Steve Clarke, according to the Scottish Sun. Clarke stepped down after seven years at the helm following a disappointing World Cup campaign this summer. The Scots failed to make it out of Group C after a 1-0 opening win over Haiti and defeats to Morocco and Brazil respectively. SFA chief Ian Maxwell, along with new chief football officer Craig Mulholland have been leading the search for Clarke's successor, with the next Nations League campaign kicking off in Slovenia just over a month from now. As well as his experience in Belgium, Pocognoli spent a season at French giants Monaco, which lasted eight months. He was linked with the vacancy at Hearts after Derek McInnes' departure before that job went to compatriot Wouter Vrancken. It's understood Pocognoli has impressed during interviews after ticking several of the search criteria boxes SFA blazers are looking for. Scotland assistant Steven Naismith had been expected to be placed in charge for the start of the Nations League. But with Pocognoli being a free agent, the Belgian could in theory begin immediately with a first squad announcement expected in the next couple of weeks. Get more Daily Record exclusives by signing up for free to Google’s preferred sources . Click HERE. Tune in to Hotline Live every Sunday to Thursday and have your say on the biggest issues in Scottish football and listen to Record Sport's newest podcast, Game On, every Friday for your sporting fix, all in bitesize chunks. Follow Record Sport on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all of the up-to-the minute breaking news, video and audio on the SPFL, the Scotland national team and beyond. You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also on WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to you phone. Join our Rangers community here and our Celtic community here. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.