It’s the Steve McClaren Newcastle appointment that’s got everyone talking, and prominent highstreet bookies predict he’ll have swapped jobs with Rafael Benítez “sometime around Christmas”.

The Dutch manager impersonator and former England manager took Derby County to the Championship play-offs this season while former Liverpool boss Benítez won the Supercoppa Italiana with Napoli.

In turn, the Supercoppa Italiana won the award for European domestic cup competition that sounds the most like an ice cream sundae.

Benítez is fondly remembered on these shores for his initially botched attempt to shuffle Xabi Alonso out of Anfield for Gareth Barry, not to mention of course his memorable comedy roast on Sir Alex Ferguson.

The McClaren Newcastle appointment is bound to foster mild resentment among a few isolated weirdos when everyone remembers that time he was manager of Middlesbrough a decade or so ago.

Speaking exclusively to Football Burp, Steve McClaren thanked Real Madrid for deciding to dip their oar into the managerial merry-go-round and outlined his hope that he shall soon be the beneficiary.

He roared: “I expect in a few months’ time Rafa will be here at Newcastle and I’ll succeed him at Real Madrid.

“It will be a tough challenge but, having managed Nottingham Forest, albeit briefly, and disastrously, I nevertheless know what it’s like to be the gaffer at a club that’s won the European Cup at least twice.

“And I was there watching it and everything in ’99. It was nuts.”

Real Madrid have refused to comment on speculation linking Sam Allardyce with a director of football role.