Former Ipswich Town boss Paul Hurst has been made the early favourite for the vacancy at Shrewsbury Town.

Sam Ricketts was sacked this morning following his side’s 2-2 draw at MK Dons last night with that result, as well as the 2-1 loss to Town at the weekend, seeing the Shropshire side rooted in the relegation zone.

Hurst has been out of work since he and Chris Doig were sacked by Scunthorpe at the beginning of the year, his first job since his disastrous 15-games in charge of Ipswich.

He won just one of those and departed with the Blues bottom of the Championship just months after joining the club from Shrewsbury in the summer of 2018.

The 46-year-old is the 3/1 favourite to return to his old club, with Nigel Adkins, Gary Bowyer, Kevin Nolan and Paul Heckingbottam also on the early bookies’ lists.

Hurst was also linked with a return to Shrewsbury prior to Ricketts’ appointment and appears to be a popular choice among supporters this time around.

Chief executive Brian Caldwell said at the time: “It’s too soon for Paul to come back to this football club.

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“A lot of things went on that not everybody’s privy to, some things come out fairly recently, I think the way it happened with him clearing his office the day before the biggest game in our history.

“To talk to players on the way back from the play-off final about next season having lost gave indications he was staying.

“He then jumped in his car, which was full with his office things. There’s no doubt interviews had taken place.

“You find out more and more truths. You have lost that trust with someone doing something behind your back for such a length of time at a really important time for this football club.

“Nobody’s bigger than Shrewsbury Town Football Club.”

Caldwell accused the Blues of making an illegal approach for Hurst’s signature, claims denied by Town.

Ipswich travel to Shrewsbury on February 13.