Former Blackpool boss Michael Appleton is eager for a return to management

With more than 400 matches as a permanent manager in the Football League behind him, few are equipped to examine the competition like Michael Appleton.

The Manchester United academy product – once given the famous ‘hairdryer’ treatment by Sir Alex Ferguson for accepting the wrong job – has been in the game since the early 1990s but is as excited as anyone as the season approaches.

Sheffield Wednesday face Southampton on Friday in the Championship opener to start the 10-month marathon again.

Appleton is keen to get back into the dugout after leaving Blackpool in January and remains deeply involved in football. His time out of work has been spent studying other coaches, analysing his own performance and keeping track of current and emerging players.

This is why there are not many better analysts of the Championship and Leagues One and Two, and Appleton’s assessment of the divisions is fascinating.