Ex-Newcastle and West Ham boss reacts to surprise link he could take charge of Sunderland’s league rivals

Former Newcastle boss Alan Pardew hasn’t ruled out a return to management after he was surprisingly linked with the Burnley job.

The Clarets, who were recently relegated from the Premier League, are looking for a new boss after Vincent Kompany left to join Bayern Munich. Former Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard is said to be a contender for the job at Turf Moor, while a report in the Sun claimed Pardew had been contacted by the Championship club.

Pardew, who has also managed Southampton, West Ham and Crystal Palace,  has been out of work since leaving Greek club Aris FC last year. When asked if he’ll be the next Burnley manager during an interview on TalkSport, Pardew replied: “Well it obviously isn’t me. Otherwise it would be officially announced!”

“It’s nice to be linked with them, if nothing else. I think the squad is good enough, the ownership is well organised and they have got finances - maybe they’re in a better position than Leicester were last year to rebound. So I think whoever gets the job, it’s going to be a great opportunity.

“For myself, it’s a great challenge that I would like to do because I’d like to take a team back to the Prem. I did it, I set teams up to go back to the Prem with West Ham, Southampton. So yeah, I would be open to it. Whether that’s known, and that’s the rumour that’s gone out rather than the actual link, I don’t know.”

Asked if he’d spoken to Burnley, Pardew smiled and answered: “I wouldn’t tell you if I had!”