Kevin Keegan, the former Newcastle United manager, has refused to rule himself out of returning for a second spell in charge at St James’ Park.

Keegan is a popular figure among the club’s fans, having famously guided the club to runner’s up spot in the Premier League behind Manchester United in the 1995-96 season, near the end of which he launched his famous “I’d love it if we beat them” tirade against Sir Alex Ferguson, the United manager.

His appointment would certainly lift spirits on Tyneside in the aftermath of a dismal spell of results that saw Sam Allardyce leave the club last week, a parting of the ways which was then followed by the unsuccessful pursuit of Harry Redknapp, the Portsmouth manager, who turned down the job on Saturday.

Keegan, the former England manager, is currently second in the betting behind Mark Hughes, the Blackburn Rovers manager, but would be a serious contender if he intimated that he would make a return to top-flight football.

He fell some way short of doing that today, but also - perhaps pointedly - did not reject the possibility. Asked if he would consider the job if offered, he said: “I really don’t know, you’re asking a lot of questions I can’t really answer.

“I’m not ruling myself out or in or anything. It’s a club I love, that’s what I am prepared to say, everyone knows that, and it’s a club I’ve managed before.”

Keegan had a disastrous spell as England manager, resigning after a 1-0 home defeat by Germany in a qualifier for the 2002 World Cup, before subsequently taking charge of Manchester City in May 2001, spending nearly four years at Eastlands before leaving the club in March 2005.