NEIL WARNOCK has joked that he would be willing to take over at Newcastle United for £1m-a-year less than Rafael Benitez currently earns.

Warnock left his position as Rotherham United manager earlier today, opting to walk away from the New York Stadium despite successfully guiding the Championship club to safety in the final few weeks of the season.

The 67-year-old boasts extensive experience of the second tier, and has been mentioned as a potential fall-back option for Newcastle if Benitez opts to trigger the release clause in his contract.

When asked whether he would be willing to replace Benitez, Warnock said: “I don’t think he’ll turn it down for £5m a year. But if he does, I’d do it for £4m!”

Warnock is regarded as one of the most experienced managers operating in the Football League, and while he previously claimed he would retire after leaving QPR in 2012, he is keen to take one more role in the upper echelons of the Championship.

He has been in talks with Blackburn Rovers about the vacant managerial position at Ewood Park, but an opportunity to take over at Newcastle would clearly appeal.

“This is not the end of me as a manager,” he said. “I’ve got a couple of irons in the fire. I’ve won seven promotions – no one has ever won eight so I’d love to go out having got that eighth promotion. I want to be challenging at the top of a division, not fire-fighting.”