MELBOURNE, April 20 (Reuters) - Steve Kean's tenure as Melbourne Victory coach is unlikely to last beyond the current season, with the A-League strugglers looking for a long-term replacement outside the club, the former Blackburn manager said on Tuesday.
Kean was named interim head coach on Monday following Grant Brebner's departure in the wake of Saturday's 7-0 humiliation by cross-town rivals Melbourne City. said he had "a lot of designs on doing a good job" but did not expect to be at Victory next season.
"The club has made that quite clear, that they'll be looking for someone outside of the club at the moment," he told reporters.
"I explained that to players because I think they have to know."
Four-times champions Victory have fallen on hard times since winning the 2017-18 title under Kevin Muscat and are bottom of the 12-team league with four rounds left in the regular season.
"My job is, between now and the end of the season, to get points on the board and work with the staff, players," said Kean, who led Blackburn in English soccer's top flight between 2010 and 2012.
"I said that to the players first thing this morning - that they're playing for their futures at the club.
"I understand the frustration of the fans; a club this size and this stature, it's understandable for the fans to be hurting.
"The players, the staff and everyone involved is hurting. We hope that that hurt turns into energy and then that energy turns into wins."