Brussels, Dec 21 (IANS): Former Barcelona football player Phillip Cocu of the Netherlands is the favourite to coach Belgium's Anderlecht, the Belgian press reported on Friday.

Cocu, coach of Turkey's Fenerbahce until the end of October, could replace dismissed manager Hein Vanhaezebrouck at the Belgian side, reports Efe news.

The public broadcaster RTBF reported that the Dutch coach is the best nominee to take over the position, provisionally occupied by Karim Belhocine until the management of Anderlecht can find a coach.

Cocu played most of his football career at PSV Eindhoven between 1995 and 1998 and from 2004 to 2007, as well as at Barcelona from 1998 to 2004.

He started on the bench a decade ago as an assistant to the then Dutch national team coach, Marco van Basten, and then led PSV Eindhoven as an assistant coach and head coach.

After leading PSV Eindhoven to win three league titles in the Netherlands in four years, Cocu signed this summer to coach Fenerbahce, but he was sacked on October 28 after suffering five defeats in 10 games in the Turkish League.

Anderlecht, which dismissed Vanhaezebrouck on Monday, has already hired Danish sports director Frank Andersen with a priority to recruit a coach to improve the Belgian side after its elimination from the Belgian Cup and the UEFA Europa League and holding the fourth position in the Belgian league standings, 11 points behind leader Genk.