Bruce puts his hand up for the Wolves job

Steve Bruce has informed Wolves of his interest in succeeding the sacked Mick McCarthy as manager - and they appear keen.

Bruce is out of work after being axed by Sunderland in November and already lives in the West Midlands.

He will now compete with Alan Curbishley and Neil Warnock for the Molineux post after McCarthy was sacked on Monday.

Bruce, 51, hopes to get an interview with the Premier League strugglers in the next 48 hours.

Wolves owner Steve Morgan, currently on a skiing holiday, is ready to endorse the appointment of the successful candidate by the end of this week.

That would give the new boss all of next week to work with the squad before their next match, at Newcastle, on February 25.

All three names on Wolves’ short-list have top-flight management experience, which was given as a pre-requisite by chief executive Jez Moxey.

Curbishley, 54, spent 15 years with Charlton, guiding them to respectable Premier League finishes for six consecutive seasons from 2000 before helping West Ham avoid the drop in 2007.

Warnock, 63, experienced Premier League management with Sheffield United before returning to the top flight with QPR this season, only to be sacked last month.

McCarthy’s successor will inherit a squad still coming to terms with his exit.

Captain Roger Johnson said: “We’ve let him, the club and ourselves down but we have enough games to get enough points.”