Arsene Wenger admits he has no plans to return to management in the 'near future' - although he is 'more open' than he was a year ago after leaving Arsenal.
The 69-year-old has been one of the big names linked with the vacant manager's job at Newcastle United after the club confirmed Rafa Benitez will leave St James' Park at the end of his contract.
Club chiefs maintain their priority was to always extend Benitez's deal so they had no Plan B as such, which has meant that the search for a new manager has effectively started from scratch.
Wenger, though, is enjoying some time off after spells with Nancy, Monaco, Nagoya Grampus Eight and, of course, Arsenal.
"Not in the near future no," he told France 24 when asked if there was a chance of him returning to the dugout this season after interviewer Kethevane Gorjestani mentioned the vacancy on Tyneside.
"I still am not ready to go back. I thought 'yes' but I don't think at the moment I will come back.
"I am more open now than a year ago to talk about that but I cannot tell you that in the next two or three days I will go into management again.
"I took a little bit of distance and I enjoyed it. I worked for 35 years without any interruption so I think I deserved a little rest."
A number of up and coming names have emerged as the early favourites for the Magpies' job, with Steven Gerrard, Patrick Vieira and Mikel Arteta all linked in recent days.
