Steve McClaren has reportedly failed to land Bolo Zenden and Phil Neville as potential assistant managers.
According to the Daily Mirror, Bolo Zenden won’t become Steve McClaren’s assistant at Newcastle – and neither will Phil Neville.
McClaren, 54, was appointed Magpies boss last week, replacing John Carver in the St. James’ Park dugout having left Derby County in May.
The former England manager has plenty of work to do on Tyneside, as he looks to improve on last season’s torrid campaign, which saw Newcastle narrowly stay up with a 2-0 win over West Ham United on the final day of the season.
Whilst adding new players is a priority, McClaren must also assemble his backroom staff – and has been dealt two blows in his search for an assistant manager.
The Mirror report that former Sunderland midfielder Zenden – who worked under McClaren at Middlesbrough – has now snubbed the chance to head back to the North East as McClaren’s assistant manager.
The report even adds that former Manchester United defender Phil Neville has also rejected the chance to reunite with his ex-Manchester United coach at St. James’ Park.
That leaves McClaren scrambling for an assistant, with The Mirror noting that his former Derby aide Paul Simpson is still in the running for the role.
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