Neil Warnock is the current manager of Cardiff City

The Cardiff City manager admitted he has long aspired to work in Scotland’s capital by building a team to challenge Celtic and Rangers.

Now 70, Warnock intends to retire at the end of this season after more than 50 years playing and coaching in England.

He has a good relationship with the Hearts manager Craig Levein, which underpinned transfers for Callum Paterson to Cardiff and Loic Damour to Tynecastle in recent years.

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However, Warnock harbours a desire to come north and manage in Scotland, where he has a house in the Argyll and Bute town of Dunoon.

He told the Evening News how he always wanted to take charge of Hearts or Hibs with the aim of trying to topple the Glasgow clubs, Celtic and Rangers.

“I’ve always fancied one of them – Hibs and Hearts,” said Warnock. “It appeals to me up there with them being neighbours.

“No disrespect to the big two but I’ve always been an underdog and I’ve always thought: ‘I wish I could get a club up there and get a team to rival Celtic and Rangers.’

“That’s how it used to be. Rangers haven’t been the force they were in recent years but I look back at what Aberdeen did all those years ago. It was unheard of, wasn’t it?