Former Sunderland defender Micky Gray has told talkSPORT that John Terry accepting the vacant Newcastle managers job would be a ‘great opportunity’ for the current Aston Villa assistant coach, but conceded that there is a ‘big problem’ that comes with the St James’ Park hot seat.
Terry is thought to be one of the candidates being considered for the vacant position on Tyneside following Mike Ashley’s reluctance to offer Rafa Benitez the assurances he demanded in order to sign a new contract.
The position has now been vacant for ten days, but United chiefs are thought to have ramped up their efforts to appoint a new head coach, with the club keen to have someone in place before the first-team fly to China on Saturday.
Steve Bruce, Roberto Martinez, and Quique Sanchez Flores are also said to be in the running, whereas Giovanni van Bronckhorst has been ruled out as Toon executives are focused on hiring a manager with proven Premier League experience so that they can hit the ground running.
That criteria could rule Terry out of the role, given he has only held an assistant position at Villa Park to Dean Smith for nine months, but the former Chelsea captain is understood to be keen on moving from a number two position into the main seat in the dugout having seen Frank Lampard earn the Chelsea job.
Gray, however, is not sure Newcastle would be the place to earn his stripes, even if we present a direct route into Premier League management.
“Every name under the sun has been touted with this job,” Gray said. “Maybe it is the route they need to go down – someone who potentially wants to be a manager.
“He’s done his due diligence, he’s done a bit of coaching at Aston Villa, and he’s got great experience in the game.
“Is it a job he would walk into where his hands are tied? I think that’s the big problem with everybody turning down Newcastle at the moment.
“It’s a great opportunity for John if he wants to go down that route, but he’ll be stuck with the players he’s got, and maybe they’re going to lose even more.”