So ‘King Kev’ is back, but how well will the Toon favourite fare in this his second spell as Newcastle Manager? Click here for all our related specials and thoughts.

New Newcastle manager Kevin Keegan has confirmed he will speak to Alan Shearer about a role at the club.

Keegan was unveiled at St James’ Park after succeeding Sam Allardyce – and revealed he will hold talks with the former Newcastle captain.

He said: “I haven’t spoken to him yet to be honest. The right answer is that I’ve concentrated fully on the match Saturday.

“If there’s a role that Alan wants then I think there’s a job here for him. I’ll definitely talk to him.”

Keegan also insisted he would be able to work with Michael Owen, despite the player criticising his new boss in his recent autobiography.

He said: “I have heard about his book and he is entitled to his opinion and I’m looking forward to working with him.”

Keegan is confident he is the best man for the St James’ Park job.

“I know the club,” he added. “I’m not saying the other managers didn’t, but I know it as a player, a manager, I know what it’s like in terms of what the fans want.

“I don’t have to learn those things. This is a very special club, and that’s what people outside this area don’t understand.

“Every time the job came up there was a little bit of envy. That’s how I felt every time the job came up. I left because of circumstances last time.

“This club doesn’t scare me. The job ahead doesn’t scare me.”

“I think I’m the best qualified person to come and do this job. This club doesn’t scare me. The job ahead doesn’t scare me.”

Other offers

Keegan also admitted he had received other offers to return to football after his last job at Manchester City, which he left in March 2005.

“I’ve had offers since I’ve been out the game but this is the right one for me,” he continued. “I think I will have a head start here and I know the job ahead.

“Normally there is a lot of questions which need answering in the first two or three months when you take over a new club but I know the answers to those questions having been here already.

“There are a lot of quality players here in Michael Owen and Mark Viduka, and then you start to look at other players who have been at other clubs and done.

“There are players like Nicky Butt and Alan Smith who have won trophies with Man United. Damien Duff who has played numerous time with his county so there is a lot of potential here.

“I want the club to be a different club from what they have experienced – they haven’t seen the club at its best yet.

“The game is pretty much the same, the way people have talked you feel like you’ve been out the game a 100 years, but I’ve been away three years and that time apart has helped me.”

Keegan said he would be entering into the transfer market during the Jnauary transfer window, dismissed claims that he would embark upon a big spending spree.

He said: “We are a club who can get big players if they are the right players.

“Realistically, with two weeks left of the transfer window, not a lot of players move and the players that do move don’t tend to be successful.

“We will bring in two or three, but only if they improve what we have got.”

So ‘King Kev’ is back, but how well will the Toon favourite fare in this his second spell as Newcastle Manager? Click here for all our related specials and thoughts.