QPR boss Harry Redknapp admits he came close to agreeing a deal with the Ukraine FA.

Redknapp was offered the job by the president of the country's football federation, Anatoliy Konkov, in London last week.

"It was a great job, a four-year contract, and it wasn't as if I had to live in Ukraine," explained Redknapp. "Capello is manager of Russia and he lives in Italy. I could have gone over at weekends, watched some games and then spent a few days at home. I spoke to Andriy Shevchenko about it. The Under 21s are good and I was excited.

"It wouldn't have been easy for me to face England in the World Cup qualifiers, but I couldn't say "Oh it doesn't matter if we don't win today" - they would have thrown me down the salt mines."