Leeds United knew that Rayo Vallecano manager Andoni Iraola was committed to the La Liga club but opted to pursue him anyway, according to Dean Jones.

The Lowdown: Manager situation

Following the sacking of Jesse Marsch last week after just Premier League games in charge which brought about just eight wins in his tenure, with the 1-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest being the final nail in the coffin for the American.

Leeds have since held on for a well deserved point at Old Trafford against Manchester United with caretaker manager Michael Skubala also remaining in the dugout for the return fixture on Sunday with the Whites still yet to name a successor to Marsch.

Victor Orta had previously moved for Spanish manager Iraola, who has been hailed as a potential 'excellent' appointment, but their attempts were rebuffed (via BBC).

The Latest: Jones’ update

Speaking to GiveMeSport, the journalist revealed that Leeds had prior knowledge in their pursuit of the Vallecano boss that he wouldn’t be leaving the club, but still decided to court him as one of their primary targets for the job, Jones said:

“They knew from the outset, they were told that Iraola was committed to his current project and they still weren't deterred by that.

“They felt they were a big enough club and had a good enough sell that they could go and get him. I said at the time, they'd have to make an unbelievable offer to test his loyalty.

“And it seems they've been unable to turn his head enough to make him walk away from the job he's in.”

The Verdict: Set back for Leeds

It’s a tough set back for Leeds to take with previous target Carlos Corberan opting to remain at West Bromwich Albion, with LeedsLive reporting that Baggies legend Ally Robertson believes the former assistant at Elland Road was worried about the Whites struggling league position.

They also suffered disappointment in their chase for Feyenoord boss Arne Slot, who didn’t want to leave the Eredivisie side (via Sky Sports) with them just a point behind league leaders AZ Alkmaar and a title well in his sights.

Leeds priority targets for their new managerial role aren’t going well with them turned down by all three they’ve approached so far, leading to concerns the man to walk through the door might not be the right one, Orta can’t afford to get this appointment wrong with relegation looming.