Cambridge United chairman Phil Law has set "the end of next week" as his target for appointing a new manager following the departure of Jimmy Quinn.

He said there are three or four candidates currently on his shortlist.

"[There is] a lot of interest in it, and I'm really heartened by the quality of the people who have come forward," Law told BBC Radio Cambridgeshire.

"There are lots of [applicants] and there's some real strength there, and some very interesting characters."

Law admitted he and the U's board face a challenge to identify the right manager.

"You're looking at names and CVs and there are so many people who are going to be discarded, which makes for a very difficult process of selection," he said.

"Hopefully, this will culminate in an appointment by the end of next week."

The U's chairman has identified experience as a key quality he will be looking for in a new manager, and said: "It needs to be somebody who buys in to the whole Cambridge ethos which is going to be looking to exploit the great wealth of young talent we've got at the football club.

"At the same time, he's got to be somebody who can work with the experienced players and get the best out of those.

"He's got to be somebody who can thrive on what is a relatively large stage at Cambridge United."