Gary Haveron will take charge of Larne’s Conference League game against Dinamo Minsk in Azerbaijan on Thursday.
Nathan Rooney, who was appointed last month to replace Tiernan Lynch as boss of the Premiership champions, does not have the licence required to play at this stage of the European Conference League competition, yet so Haveron, who has a Pro Licence, is the designated head coach for the game in Sumqayit.
“Nathan doesn’t yet have his Uefa pro licence, so Gary Haveron is listed as our head coach in tomorrow’s game,” confirmed the Inver Park club to the Belfast Telegraph.
The 35-year-old succeeded Lynch in the Larne hotseat, having enjoyed success with Gibraltar side Bruno’s Magpies.
Hailing from Blackburn in Lancashire, Rooney began his coaching career at an early age with hometown club Blackburn Rovers and gained his Uefa A Licence by the age of 22.
He began his first spell with the Magpies in 2022, left briefly for Portuguese side Espinho but returned to Gibraltar without taking a competitive game.
Rooney took Bruno’s Magpies into Europe twice, making headlines earlier this year by knocking Derry City out of the Conference League thanks to a 3-2 aggregate win.
Rooney took part in Larne’s pre-match media conference on Wednesday in Azerbaijan and was asked whether he would be in charge.
He said the matter was in hand when asked about it this week.
“There’s been a process in the past which has been ongoing in terms of obviously working in different countries,” said Rooney.
“But no, everything is aligned, everything’s clear in terms of that process and we’re very close with that.”