Alan Shearer has revealed he thought he had the Newcastle United manager's job after sitting down with Mike Ashley in the immediate aftermath of relegation two seasons ago.
Shearer had been parachuted in for the final eight games of the 2008-09 season in a desperate attempt to keep the Magpies in the Barclays Premier League.
Ultimately, he was to fail as his side recorded only one win – over derby rivals Middlesbrough – and two draws and slipped out of the top flight by a single point.
But as Ashley, Newcastle's owner, plotted the way forward Shearer was called in for talks and left convinced the job was his, before the sportswear tycoon opted to appoint Chris Hughton in a caretaker capacity.
Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live tonight, Shearer said: "I thought I had the job at Newcastle. We had got relegated and I had sat down with the appropriate guys and we had agreed everything. Then two days later ...
"I have not spoken to them since. I rang someone up and he didn't know what was going on, and I never got a phone call after that."
Shearer admitted he could not see himself returning to St James' Park under the current regime, but said he hugely enjoyed his brief spell in charge despite the outcome and would consider a tempting offer to return to management, wherever that may be.
He said: "I absolutely loved my time at Newcastle, despite what happened. I have never, ever worked so hard in my life and my kids have never seen so little of me, but I loved the challenges that it brought and yes, if the right one came along, then I would seriously look at it."
Ashley's decision not to appoint Shearer brought a wave of fury from the club's fans, although the former Newcastle and England captain insists the owner is entitled to run the club how he wishes.
He said: "You have got to look at the guy and think, 'Hang on a minute, he has put a hell of a lot of money into Newcastle United, so he is entitled to do what he wants to do'.
"If you are spending £150m, £200m, £250m on something, then you are going to want to call the shots and he is doing that.
"I don't know whether he wants to spend any more money, I don't know if he wants to take the club further or what."
Hughton, who worked under Shearer and his assistant Iain Dowie during their spell in charge, secured promotion at the first attempt, and his short-term boss is full of praise for the job he has done.
Shearer said: "He has done a magnificent job. He is a really, really nice guy and was a big help to me when I went in there.
"I have got to be honest, I didn't think Newcastle would come back up at the first attempt with the team they had.
"They had some very good players in there, but the vast majority were the players who took them down, and you have got to give Chris tremendous credit for that.
"He steadied the ship and, without doubt, he deserves a crack at the big league now."