Newcastle United next manager: World Cup winner will NOT replace Rafa Benitez

Patrick Viera will NOT be joining Newcastle United this summer, as the Magpies’ search for Rafa Benitez’s replacement goes on.
French former Arsenal and France star Patrick Vieira, world and European champion with Les Bleus, attends a press conference after being officialy appointed as French L1 football club of OGC Nice's new coach on June 11, 2018. - Vieira, 41, arrives after a stint at MLS outfit New York City FC. He has signed a three-year contract and replaces Lucien Favre who is moving to Borussia Dortmund. (Photo by YANN COATSALIOU / AFP)        (Photo credit should read YANN COATSALIOU/AFP/Getty Images)French former Arsenal and France star Patrick Vieira, world and European champion with Les Bleus, attends a press conference after being officialy appointed as French L1 football club of OGC Nice's new coach on June 11, 2018. - Vieira, 41, arrives after a stint at MLS outfit New York City FC. He has signed a three-year contract and replaces Lucien Favre who is moving to Borussia Dortmund. (Photo by YANN COATSALIOU / AFP)        (Photo credit should read YANN COATSALIOU/AFP/Getty Images)
French former Arsenal and France star Patrick Vieira, world and European champion with Les Bleus, attends a press conference after being officialy appointed as French L1 football club of OGC Nice's new coach on June 11, 2018. - Vieira, 41, arrives after a stint at MLS outfit New York City FC. He has signed a three-year contract and replaces Lucien Favre who is moving to Borussia Dortmund. (Photo by YANN COATSALIOU / AFP) (Photo credit should read YANN COATSALIOU/AFP/Getty Images)

According to GFFN, Vieira “remains focused & excited on the future at OGC Nice”.

Viera is one of the bookmakers’ favourites for the post and was interviewed by the club for the job when Steve McClaren was appointed in 2015.

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One of Viera’s former teammates at Arsenal, Ray Parlour, has backed the Frenchman to be a real success in the managerial world – and thinks if he gets the job at St James’s Park, it could be the perfect stepping stone to a return to North London.

“I’m surprised by the news,” Parlour told TalkSPORT.

“I always tipped him to be the Arsenal manager one day. I’d love to see him back at Arsenal, but this could be the stepping stone, who knows.

“He was a fantastic player, a really intelligent guy. He knew exactly what he brought to the table every game and he never let you down, he could handle the pressure.

“Not all great players become great managers, but I could always see him going down that road.

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“To take over from Tony Adams as Arsenal skipper, that was a big loss for us because Tony was a big, big player at centre-half, but Patrick did a wonderful job. He was skipper for about eight years and everyone looked up to him.”

Roberto Martinez’s odds were slashed yesterday by the bookmakers, with unlikely appointment Jose Mourinho see his odds drift.

Martinez was as short as 3/1 with Sky Bet.