Steve Bruce reveals how close he came to walking away from Newcastle United job

Bruce will be in charge for Sunday’s game against Tottenham Hotspur after a week of intense speculation over his future following a £300million takeover of the club by a powerful investment group which includes Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF)

The winless club's head coach hit out at journalists ahead of the fixture, which will be attended by PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the club’s new non-executive chairman.

Bruce, appointed by former owner Mike Ashley two years ago, also revealed that he had considered walking away from his rolling contract after the club finished 12th in the Premier League last season.

The 60-year-old said: “I thought after finishing 12th and 13th, and matching the previous manager (Benitez guided the club to 10th and 13th-placed finishes), my thought was ‘can I take it forward? Can I get any better than this? How do I take the club forward?’. (Those) were the questions I asked myself.

"Then I thought of my staff, everyone around and this, that and the other, and then I thought ‘do you know what? No matter how difficult it is, it’s still a great job’. You’re one of 20 in the Premier League.

"I’ve walked before from a Premier League club, and I decided to carry on.”

Bruce – who has repeatedly insisted that he wouldn’t walk away this season – also dismissed claims that he was waiting for a pay-off.

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