Steve McClaren has admitted he'd be reluctant to return to 'day to day' management, but didn't rule out a coaching comeback, amid strong links with a post in Erik ten Hag's Manchester United backroom staff.
The former Sir Alex Ferguson assistant, who has also managed England, Newcastle, Derby and Middlesbrough among others, has been heavily touted for a return to Old Trafford this summer. As well as working under Ferguson at Old Trafford, he's a former colleague of Ten Hag who was his assistant at FC Twente.
Ten Hag has now been confirmed as United's next boss, with the 52-year-old's Ajax assistant Mitchell van der Gaag expected to join him in Manchester. McClaren could follow suit, having intimate knowledge of both United and Ten Hag's coaching methods.
READ MORE: Why United chose Erik ten Hag as their next manager
On going back into club football — with McClaren's last managerial job ending at QPR in 2019 — he told World Football Index : “I would consider international management because I don’t think that I would go back into day to day management unless I could work at the level that I wanted to which isn’t available at the moment.
“I certainly think that I can give plenty of enthusiasm and energy to a job in addition to the knowledge and experience that I have gained over the years.
“At the present moment, I am continuing to learn by working with FIFA alongside Arsene Wenger on a global report on football and the development of the game.
“I hope that by learning different skills, it can help me find a new direction and role that will fulfil me just as my managerial career did.”
On working with Ten Hag at Twente, McClaren added: “I worked closely with Erik ten Hag who was one of my assistants. He is at Ajax now doing very well and being routed for the Manchester United job and rightly so. I learned from him and, vice versa, he learned from me."
