Why is it taking Aberdeen so long to appoint a manager?

Speaking on the BBC’s Scottish Football podcast, Nelson said he had not applied for the position and was happy to be working at City Football Group as an assistant at Belgian club Lommel SK.

However, he believes Aberdeen should have been prepared for a sooner date.

“Whoever comes in now, if it’s not Hornlund, will probably be seen as second, third or fourth choice and I think that’s the difficulty of it.” He said.

“I completely understand that they want to appoint the right man, but in my opinion, a sporting director, even when a manager is in good form, should have a list of three or four goals.

“You have to be prepared for success and failure. It takes a long time.

“If you look at the January transfer window with six players in and nine players out, there’s another massive turnover after 15 players in the summer. They really need to get a bit of stability.”

Nelson also joked that the weather in the Northeast, especially the rain spell, could have an impact on the appointment.

“The only thing I saw was that the potential trainer finished last week. And the time he arrived was during a world record period of days without sunshine.

“If it lands on Monday and doesn’t see the sun by Friday, he might think: ‘I have a chance in Spain, where am I going?’

The former Scotland international also says the playing squad will become increasingly concerned about the length of time without a decision being made, which has a knock-on effect on the interim coach.

“For Peter Levin, it must be very difficult,” Nelson said. “He sees things on the news and then comes every morning to pick up the team.

“The players will be talking about it and he is trying to communicate his authority and his ideas to the team while the players are thinking that maybe he won’t be here tomorrow.” Then he has to play another match and another.

“They really need to bring someone in. If it’s Hornlund, great and let’s see how he does.

“But they need someone to come in and take the team and give them direction.”