NEWCASTLE UNITED are putting all manager talk on the back burner until Premier League status has been assured for a further season after Steve McClaren claimed he was ‘never tempted’ by the St James’ Park job.

The Magpies, who made an initial move for him shortly after Alan Pardew left in January, made a renewed attempt to lure McClaren to Tyneside after Saturday’s debacle at Leicester City which plunged them deeper in to crisis.

But the former Middlesbrough and England manager opted against taking over Newcastle for the final three games of the season – and he has also suggested he has ruled out taking over in the summer.

It had been thought York-born McClaren would have accepted the role once it had become clear that Derby County would be planning for a further season in the Championship after dropping out of the play-offs on the final weekend.

The 54-year-old, however, has indicated that he is purely focused on leading Derby back to the top-flight next season rather than take on the new challenge of reviving Newcastle where there is disharmony between owner Mike Ashley and the club’s fans.

“I reiterate what I said on Saturday straight after the game and what I’ve said to the board and the players yesterday – I’m 100 per cent committed to finishing the job here,” said McClaren.

“After the disappointment of the weekend, it’s a big job and something that over the next three or four days we’re planning to put right. I hear the speculation, I see it, but I’m 100 per cent committed to Derby County at this point. I wouldn’t be talking and planning.”

Newcastle – who have lost eight league games in a row - are two points above the relegation zone ahead of Saturday’s visit of West Brom when a victory could well prove enough to keep them in the Premier League.

But McClaren’s focus is purely Derby. He said: “There is still a lot more to come from this team and this club. The aim is to get in to the Premier League.

“For three quarters of the season we were one of the best teams in the league. We were top of the league. We looked as if we were going to go on. Since that moment a lot of things have gone wrong but it is not a bad team, it is not a bad football club overnight. That is why I want to stay here and finish the job.”

While McClaren paints a united picture of Derby after failing to secure promotion to the Premier League, the task of reviving Newcastle remains a difficult one for interim head coach John Carver.

After meetings on Sunday and Monday with the players and managing director Lee Charnley, the outcome, it is claimed from within, is that there is a determination to lead Newcastle clear of trouble. The open letter captain Fabricio Coloccini penned to fans on Tuesday suggested just that, although fans will only be satisfied in the short-term if the players deliver.

If survival is achieved then it will be down to Ashley and Charnley to come up with a suitable summer of change at St James’, starting with a managerial appointment which will excite supporters.

But given the uncertainty surrounding the club at this stage, sources close to the boardroom insist the sole focus at this point is staying up and that discussions about Alan Pardew’s long term successor are on hold along with transfer talks.

Former Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri is among those to have expressed an interest in the position. He is keen to get back in to club football after an unsuccessful stint in charge of Greece and is attracted by the prospect of taking over at St James’.

But another target David Moyes, like McClaren, is thought to be happy to have another 12 months at least in his current job with Real Sociedad despite apparent interest in him from West Ham too. Moyes was sacked at Manchester United 13 months ago.

Newcastle goalkeeper Rob Elliot, meanwhile, is attracting interest from Fulham. With Karl Darlow due on Tyneside for the start of pre-season having being loaned back to previous club Nottingham Forest for a season, Elliot looks set to depart at Craven Cottage is on the cards.