Alan Shearer is open to a return to Newcastle United.

The Evening Chronicle says United chairman Chris Mort rang Shearer in Barbados on Thursday and told him he would not be considered for the managerial post at St James's Park because he was too inexperienced. And United will back this up by saying they are merely trying to protect Shearer.

Shearer is very much his own man and both in his career and life the term No 2 has never existed.

But it's reported that Shearer would not be against working with Kevin Keegan.