Kevin Keegan, the Newcastle United manager, has confirmed that Alan Shearer will not be his assistant but is still hoping to offer him a role at St James’ Park.

The 37-year-old held lengthy talks with Keegan last night, with another meeting planned for Monday. The pair spent four hours in discussion over the direction of the club, though they quickly reached the conclusion that the so-called “dream ticket” partnership is a non-starter.

“We will see what happens on Monday. It will not be as No 2, I will tell you that,” Keegan said. “It will not be, and that’s the conclusion we both came to. But it will be, if he decides to come in, a very worthwhile role.”

Shearer had himself expressed an interest in succeeding Sam Allardyce in charge of the club where he is the record goalscorer and previously admitted that he did “not see myself as a No 2”.

One of the conditions on a Shearer appointment, however, was him dropping his media commitments for the BBC, where he works as a football pundit, and this could have proved to be the major stumbling block.

The appointment of a trusted assistant will be a crucial one as Keegan embarks on trying to effect a footballing revolution on Tyneside.

Changes to the back-room staff have been only minor so far, with Arthur Cox, 69, Keegan’s long-time mentor, rejoining the club in an advisory position. On the playing side, he has appointed Michael Owen as captain, despite the striker being somewhat critical of him in his autobiography.