Newcastle United boss Mike Ashley thinks Steve Bruce is a 'safe pair of hands' - but there's good news for Sheffield Wednesday fans

Cue much speculation over who will succeed him in the St James’s Park dugout next season.

From Arsene Wenger to Jose Mourinho, there have been plenty of outlandish suggestions over who could be the next Magpies’ boss – not least Sheffield Wednesday manager Steve Bruce.

The bookies had Bruce at odds of 20/1 to take on the position, but there’s good news for Owls fans according to the latest reports from The Telegraph.

It’s thought that while Newcastle owner Mike Ashley considers ex-Sunderland manager Bruce a safe pair of hands, he isn’t a big enough name to make the shortlist for the position.

The Premier League side are still said to be compiling a list of potential targets and are willing to be patient with Wenger and Mourinho, despite both distancing themselves from the job in recent days.

Odds continue to change as more information is released from sources at the club – Bruce has apparently turned the job down twice before with the Magpies.

The boyhood Newcastle fan joined Wednesday in February and oversaw a strong second half of the camapaign to finish 12th in the Championship.

Rangers boss Steven Gerrard is another name that has been linked with the job amid a period of turmoil at Newcastle with just days until the start of pre-season.