NEWCASTLE UNITED have no interest in lining up Jose Mourinho for a managerial position at St James’ Park despite speculation linking the former Chelsea and Manchester United boss with the Magpies.

Within hours of Mourinho being sacked as manager of Italian side Roma this morning, stories began to emerge suggesting the 60-year-old could be in line to replace Eddie Howe on Tyneside.

Mourinho has previously spoken of his admiration for Newcastle, an affinity that stretches back to his time working under Sir Bobby Robson, and was recently courted by both Al-Hilal and Al-Ahli, two of the Saudi Arabian clubs that share the same majority ownership as the Magpies.

However, there is no intention to remove from Howe from his current position as Newcastle head coach, and even if there was, it is extremely unlikely that Mourinho would be considered as a viable alternative.

For all that Newcastle have struggled in the last couple of months, crashing out of the Champions League and Carabao Cup and tumbling to tenth place in the Premier League, the club’s ownership group fully appreciate the extenuating circumstances that have led to the tough spell.

The Magpies have suffered from a debilitating injury list, while the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability rules mean the scope for investment into the playing squad this month is severely limited.

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Last week, Newcastle’s chief executive officer, Darren Eales, underlined the ongoing support for Howe, saying: “There’s no doubt we have had that real progression on the pitch and Eddie is a huge, integral part of that. We hope he is going to be with us for many years to come.”

While Mourinho has long been touted as a potential Newcastle-manager-in-waiting, the reality is that the Portuguese’s star has waned significantly in recent years.

He struggled at Tottenham, finishing no higher than sixth, and won fewer than half of his matches in charge of Roma, who are currently ninth in Serie A.