Championship giants Aston Villa sacked Bruce in October – could he now return to the Premier League with Southampton as pressure rises on Mark Hughes.
Mark Hughes might have survived the chop after Southampton threw away a lead to draw 1-1 at home to Watford on Saturday. But with just one win in 12 Premier League games, the pressure on the experienced Welshman appears to be increasing by the week.
The Mirror have reported that The Saints could turn to time-honoured firefighter Sam Allardyce should they decide to yield the axe on Hughes with the similarly battle-scarred David Moyes also in their sights.
Leonardo Jardim, the manager who won the Ligue 1 title with Monaco in 2017, is also being considered as a continental, unproven yet exciting appointment.
But no one has mentioned Steve Bruce so far. Yet, the affable Geordie gaffer is now the 4/1 favourite with Paddy Power to take over at St Mary’s should Hughes lose his job in the near future.
Now, appointing Bruce would hardly set the pulses racing, given that he was sacked by Championship outfit Aston Villa in October after just months after losing the play-off final to Fulham.
57-year-old Bruce also hasn’t managed in the Premier League since being relegated with Hull City in 2015, though he has plenty of top flight nous from his spells at Birmingham City, Wigan Athletic and Sunderland.
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