Steve Bruce opens up on being linked with interim Man Utd manager job and how close he came to bossing England

STEVE BRUCE has admitted that he never had any conversations with Manchester United over an interim job.

The former Newcastle and Hull City manager was linked with the hot-seat at Old Trafford after Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked in 2021.

Steve Bruce was linked to the Manchester United job in 2021PA

GettyOle Gunnar Solskjaer was sacked leaving the club looking for an interim manager[/caption]

Bruce, 62, was a popular figure at Man United during his playing days but missed out on the interim job as it went to Ralf Rangnick.

Despite being linked with the temporary role, Burce has insisted that he did not hold any talks with the club despite being “namechecked” by Peter Schmeichel.

Bruce exclusively told Ladbrokes Fanzone: “It was very kind of Peter [Schmeichel] to namecheck me as a potential interim boss for the Man United job.

“Look, if I could have helped out in any way, shape or form, then I would have done… that goes without saying.

“But it never materialised, no. No conversations took place with the club, no.”

United is not the only big job that Bruce has been linked to during his career.

Bruce interviewed for the vacant England job in 2016 after Roy Hodgson resigned.

He believes that he made it down to the final three candidates alongside Sam Allardyce and Harry Redknapp despite “bricking it” for the interview.

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Bruce added: “I lost out on the England job to Big Sam [Allardyce]. I was interviewed for the job, I think I was on a shortlist of three, if I’m led to believe what the media were saying at the time.

“But Big Sam got it, and only last 40 days, or something like that. I was close, but didn’t get over the line, which was a shame, because it has to be the pinnacle in your career.

“Of course, I was bricking it before that interview for the England job, like anyone else would be. I was apprehensive, excited, to even be thought of, and considered for that role.

“It was a credit to how well Hull City had done at that time. It was a testament to how well we did there.

PASteve Bruce was one of the top candidates for the England job[/caption]

PA:Press AssociationSam Allardyce got the job over him[/caption]

“But like everyone else, when you get a job interview, especially when it’s a top one like that, you’re nervous. Obviously, the interview didn’t go down too well because I didn’t get the job.

“I think you have to be ready for a job like that. You have to be ready to deal with the fact that it’s not a day-to-day thing.

“Day-to-day involvement is obviously part and parcel of club management, but with the national team, you have between six and eight games a season. You don’t have the day-to-day side of things to deal with. 

“We’ve got some great managers in the Premier League, and I think they enjoy that day-to-day work, the everyday running of Man City, Liverpool, Arsenal.”

Bruce is currently a free agent having left West Brom in 2022.

He has suggested that he is open to a return to football and would be willing to work abroad.

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