Ex-Newcastle United man eyeing return after exit from Sunderland's Championship rivals

The former Newcastle United player has been out of work since he left Birmingham City last summer, but says he is eager to return to football in the near future. Bowyer was also previously with Charlton, guiding the club to the Championship at the expense of Sunderland.

"You miss it. You sit at home on a Saturday, you watch the results piling in and you watch live games on the telly," Bowyer told talkSPORT. "I always try and watch the game with the teams I've worked with. I want to get back in because what I do is good, I improve people and that's rewarding for me.

"I don't have an idea, I'm quite open. Whether it's in this country, whether it's abroad, you go where it seems right. Whatever comes up, I'll speak to my family and we go from there. I do enjoy it. Like I said, I didn't think I would go into management because as a player I just loved playing and training.

"The EFL is a good stepping stone, it's a good place to earn your stripes - there's no better place than in the Championship, or EFL, because you are working with a good quality of player. In the Championship, there are so many players now playing at a standard that, in my playing days, they'd have been in the Premier League. It's a good place to learn your trade."