Zinedine Zidane has made his mind up about the Newcastle United job, with Steve Bruce widely expected to be let go by the club in the coming weeks.
The Frenchman, who guided Real Madrid to three successive Champions League triumphs between 2016 and 2018, had been one of a number of out of work managers linked with the position.
The likes of Antonio Conte and Frank Lampard are also relatively short with the bookies to take over from Bruce, with the pair of former Chelsea managers still without jobs.
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However, according to The Mirror, Zidane has already turned down the advances of Newcastle's new wealthy owners, for one simple and clear reason.
In the wake of France's recent Euro 2020 and Nations League finals failures, the 49-year-old is hoping to replace Didier Deschamps as manager of Les Bleus.
A number of high-profile managers have already turned down Newcastle.
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Zidane's former Juventus teammate Antonio Conte, who left his role as Inter Milan boss in the summer, reportedly has no interest in the job while Brendan Rodgers has recently reaffirmed his commitment to Leicester City.
This could mean that Steven Gerrard gets an opportunity to manage on Tyneside, as according to the same report, the former Liverpool legend is "intrigued" by the idea of joining the club.
Gerrard led Rangers to a historic Scottish Premiership title win last season, with his cache as a coach currently as high as it's ever been.
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Appointing a manager with such little experience would represent a risk for the Newcastle ownership group, but by the same token, taking the job will also require a leap of faith by Gerrard.
The 41-year-old will initially be tasked with keeping the side in the Premier League despite never managing in England before - and failure to do so would surely cost him of chance at one day managing Liverpool.
Nevertheless, for the time being, Steve Bruce remains in charge at St James' Park - and it is he who will be on the touchline for the trip of Spurs this weekend.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Steve Bruce, Premier League, Zinedine Zidane, Steven Gerrard, Newcastle United, Antonio Conte