Joe Girardi was ready to return to The Bronx in 2018 and admitted he was “surprised” when he was told last week he wouldn’t be.

“With the year that we had and the progress the team had made, I thought I would be back,” Girardi said in an interview with The Athletic. “Obviously, there is a ton of talent there, a ton of great young talent. I was excited about that. I thought I’d be back.’’

Instead, his contract was not renewed and for the first time in a decade, the Yankees are looking for a new manager.

“For me, there was disappointment because I kind of wanted to finish what we had started this year,’’ Girardi said. “And I was looking forward to the growth of the organization, the young players, the more young players with the veterans we had.’’

And he admitted in the Q&A that the move “hurt.”

“Whenever you feel someone doesn’t want you, there’s going to be hurt,’’ Girardi said. “But I understood. I understand that this has happened to managers who have achieved a lot more than I have.”

Even though Girardi showed more emotion as the season wound down, he insisted he didn’t sense the end was coming.

“I thought it was business as usual,’’ said Girardi, who added that he’d like to manage again and that he was also interested in possibly working in TV again or the Commissioner’s office. “We talked about teams we needed to look at in advance-scouting meetings [for the playoffs], talked about rosters. The communication was great.”

The same was true with his team, according to Girardi.

“I think you’re always going to have some players who maybe your personality mixes better with than others, who you might be closer with than others,’’ Girardi said. “But I’m not going to apologize for my personality.’’

His relationship with Cashman also remained positive, Girardi said.

“Like any relationship over 10 years, you’re going to have some disagreements,” Girardi said. “But as [Cashman] would say, ‘I think they’re healthy. I think they lead to some discussions.’ But I think we were on the same page most of the time. He allowed me to do my job.”

As the Yankees rely more and more on analytics, Girardi said: “I believe numbers tell a story. But numbers tell the exact story every day. They tell the story every time. Sometimes, you have to make adjustments.’’

Perhaps that’s where a disconnect between Girardi and the front office stemmed from.

In the end, there was also just one title in 10 seasons at the helm.

“Ninety-one wins a year, that’s great,’’ Girardi said. “But I’m disappointed we only won one World Series. Six different years we were in the playoffs, and I am proud of that.’’