Former Newcastle boss Graeme Souness admits he would return to St James' Park "in a heartbeat" now that Freddy Shepherd has left the club.

Harry Redknapp on Saturday turned down the role following Sam Allardyce's exit - and Newcastle have been told by Portsmouth they will be wasting their time making any more bids for the 60-year-old.

But Souness, who endured a difficult spell from 2004-06 as Magpies boss under Freddy Shepherd, admitted he would be happy to return to Tyneside under new owner Mike Ashley and chairman Chris Mort.

Asked on Sky Sports 1 if he would be interested in going back, Souness said: "With [there now being] a different chairman, most certainly."

When pressed on whether he would take the job if it was offered to him, he added: "In a heartbeat. It is a big club, one of the big clubs out there.

"It has got the potential to be one of the best. But it's not a quick fix, and whoever goes in there is going to need certainly a minimum of three or four years."