Former Birmingham City, West Brom and Aston Villa boss makes 'strange' claim amid new job links

Steve Bruce has reaffirmed his desire to return to football management after spending 16 months out of the game.

The 63-year-old has not managed since he was relieved of his duties as manager of West Brom in October 2022. He has been linked with the South Korea national team job after German football legend Jurgen Klinsmann was relieved of his duties.

He played an advisory role to his former club Gillingham in choosing former Blues defender and Aston Villa coach Stephen Clemence as their manager back in November. Clemence was encouraged to take the role at Priestfield, and now Bruce himself wants to get back in to the management game.

"In some capacity, I would like to think that I could offer someone a response if they asked me anything about football, said Bruce to OLBG.

"Whether I go on the coal face and manage again or if I go in and help a younger manager, whatever I do I really want to try and get back into football.

"I want to try and get back in, I find Saturday afternoons very strange. But how lucky I have been.

"I managed for 24 years and played for 20 years, this is the first time for 45 or 46 years that I have had a year out of football and I am itching to get back in some capacity."

Bruce has been in management for 34-years and has managed a host of clubs. He began at Sheffield United and also managed Huddersfield Town, Wigan Athletic and Crystal Palace before landing at Birmingham City. Bruce was manager of Blues for just under six-years and guided them to two promotions. He returned to Wigan for a brief spell and then managed Sunderland and Hull City, winning automatic promotion with the latter.

Bruce returned to the Midlands with Birmingham's inter-city rivals Villa and spent almost two years at the club. His time at Sheffield Wednesday was brief and ended after just 18-games and he would later go on to manage Newcastle United. The former Man United defender was appointed as West Brom boss in February 2022, replacing Valerien Ismael and penned an 18-month contract but he left just eight months later with the Baggies 22nd in the Championship.