Oxford United today confirmed the club have given fellow Division Four side Portsmouth permission to speak to manager Chris Wilder. The Us boss is among the favourites to take over the managerial vacancy at Fratton Park, after the south-coast side sacked former United striker Guy Whittingham last Monday.

Wilder, who succeeded Darren Patterson at the Kassam Stadium back in 2008, has won 116 games out of the 258 he has been in charge for, with the Yellows currently top of the table. Pompey however lye 17th in the league so far this season, and have already been refused permission to speak to Newport County boss Justin Edinburgh about the post.

Portsmouth have decided to turn to Wilder, 46, after he helped Oxford gain promotion back in 2010, defeating York City 3-1 at Wembley Stadium in the Conference play-off final to regain the club Football League status after a four-year absence.

Oxford United have released a statement expressing their wishes to keep the former Bury assistant at the club having spent five years at Grenoble Road, but have decided not to prevent him from being interviewed by Portsmouth if he wishes too.

Us chairman Ian Lenagan said: “We have allowed Chris Wilder to speak to Portsmouth, partly out of respect for Chris’ long service at Oxford United and partly because we want our manager to be at Oxford United because he has the desire to be here, not because we prevent him speaking to other clubs.

“Chris and I have been entirely straightforward with each other and from the Board’s point of view we have made it abundantly clear that that we want him to continue doing the good job he has been doing at Oxford United.”

Lenagan also expressed his frustration of an approach being made for his manager was made public prior to United’s league fixture away to Fleetwood Town at the weekend. He added: “There are ways of doing these things properly, and we feel that the timing of the approach by Portsmouth, and the leaking of that approach on a matchday – whoever was responsible for that – was not doing things properly.

“It is a tribute to Chris Wilder’s professionalism that he remained 100% focused on the job at hand, but I will be writing to Portsmouth’s Board about what happened.”