Leeds United assistant manager Franz Schiemer could depart Elland Road and join the Austria national team, with a decision expected on Friday afternoon.

The Lowdown: Schiemer a key backroom member

Jesse Marsch has enjoyed an impressive coaching career to date, excelling at RB Salzburg, in particular, before taking the Leeds job earlier this year.

While the American was clearly the main influence at former clubs, Schiemer was a trusty deputy, implementing his own methods and playing his part in the team's success.

The 36-year-old has now continued working alongside Marsch at Leeds, joining the Whites in March, but it appears as though his departure from the Premier League could now be close.

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The Latest: Austrian job beckoning?

According to Die Presse [via Sport Witness], Schiemer has held talks over becoming Austria's new assistant manager, with as many as 20 candidates spoken to.

Austrian FA sporting director Peter Schottel is believed to have travelled to England to speak to the Leeds man personally, with the report stating a decision will be made before the weekend:

"The course for the Austrian national team will be set this afternoon at the Courtyard by Marriott Vienna Prater. The OFB holds its executive committee meeting there. The question to be clarified is: Who should head the national team as team boss in the future?"

Ralf Rangnick has since been confirmed as the manager, so we will surely find out in the coming hours who his coaching staff are, once this meeting concludes.

That means, if Schiemer is indeed their man, he could be signed on the dotted line before Leeds take on Manchester City on Saturday evening, a distraction the squad definitely don't need.

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The Verdict: Potential big loss for Marsch

Schiemer has been a hugely effective member of Marsch's backroom team for several years now, as mentioned, so this could be a big blow to the Leeds boss.

A manager is often only as good as those around him, as even the world's best coaches such as Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola attest to, so it is vital that Marsch's assistant is sufficiently replaced if he leaves - Klopp even claimed this week his decision to stay at Liverpool was only possible because his right-hand man, Pepijn Lijnders, agreed to stay also.

If this move does happen in the coming days, it would be a huge shame not to have seen Schiemer have longer to make an impact, having been hailed as 'very, very important' by Marsch himself.

In other news, Fabrizio Romano has dropped a Leeds transfer claim. Read more here.