Newcastle United 'would have to consider' appointing Steve Cooper if he applied for the manager's role at St James' Park, according to Lee Ryder for Chronicle Live.
The lowdown
Newcastle have endured a poor start to the new season, with just one point on the board from their first four matches. They conceded twice in the final 10 minutes against Manchester United on Saturday, falling to a 4-1 defeat.
Cooper is currently out of work after leaving Swansea City at the end of 2020/21 season. He navigated them to the play-offs in back-to-back seasons but they twice fell short of securing promotion.
The Welshman was on Crystal Palace's shortlist following the departure of Roy Hodgson, but they opted for Patrick Vieira instead.
The latest
According to Ryder in Chronicle Live, Cooper was in attendance at Old Trafford on Saturday, 'probably' to support Freddie Woodman after coaching the Newcastle goalkeeper at Swansea.
The journalist claimed that the 41-year-old would 'fit the bill' for the Magpies given his 'expertise' in developing young talent and his Barcelona-inspired style of football.
Southampton are thought to have identified Cooper as a possible replacement for Ralph Hassenhuttl should they part ways with the Austrian.
In a subsequent tweet, Ryder labelled the former Swansea manager as 'the watching would-be boss'.
The verdict
Cooper is a talented manager whose work at youth level included guiding England to Under-17 World Cup glory four years ago, and it feels like a matter of time before he gets a crack at the Premier League, whether that's at Newcastle or elsewhere.
It seems inevitable that Bruce's tenure will come to an acrimonious end, but question marks over his future may still be premature. The Newcastle hierarchy may decide to give him until the mid-point of the season to demonstrate that he can keep them in the Premier League once again.
In other news, Chris Waugh reveals the in-house reaction to this Bruce decision.