Patrick Vieira is on the four-man shortlist of candidates to take over at Newcastle United, according to BBC Sport.
According to the Guardian, interim manager John Carver has been informed that his contract as head coach will not be extended. He will, however, be expected to revert back to assistant manager next season. With Carver no longer in charge, Newcastle are eager to find a new manager before Friday, if possible.
Vieira, current manager of Manchester City’s Under-21 squad, lacks managerial experience at the top level. However, he is highly rated at Manchester City and might flourish given the chance to manage in the Premier League.
The 38-year-old Frenchman has previously expressed interest in Newcastle. He remarked in a Twitter Q&A in 2013 that St. James’ Park was his favourite stadium in England, going on to say, “My favourite stadium in England is Newcastle’s stadium. I like the atmosphere, I like the way the stadium is built and I loved playing there.”
Furthermore, Vieira is keen to test his managerial skills at a higher level. The managerial job at Newcastle might be the opportunity he needs to see if he can rise to the challenge or if it will prove too much for him.
However, also on the shortlist is Steve McClaren, former Derby manager before being sacked last week. McClaren is considerably more experienced than Vieira and could be expecting a call for advanced talks with the Magpies.
Despite McClaren’s managerial experience, however, Vieira currently seems to be the favourite to become Newcastle’s new manager by the end of the week.
