'Ring me up anytime' - Former England boss Sam Allardyce ready to make sensational return to football at 70 after admitting he was fortunate to avoid cardiac arrest during recent charity walk

The ex-England manager spent four matches in charge of Leeds in a failed attempt to keep them in the Premier League at the end of the 2022-23 season.

The ex-Newcastle, West Ham and Everton boss is eager to find a way back after a lengthy absence, though he distanced himself from a return to one former team, League One promotion hopefuls Bolton.

"I would help anybody. Whether as a manager, or in another role, I don't know," the 70-year-old told BBC. "But it would have to be a great project. Where we're all pulling in the same direction. You may think that always happens at a football club, but believe me it does not!"

Asked if he sees himself back at Bolton, he said: "I don't think I do. If they wanted my help they can ring me up anytime they want. I live in the town."

Allardyce is taking part in the nationwide Sky Bet and British Heart Foundation's Every Minute Matters Relay to inspire the public to learn CPR. The event sees participants walk, cycle or run each leg. Allardyce will walk 13km from Bolton to Wigan.

"I have had three stents fitted in my lifetime and fortunately I have not been a casualty of cardiac arrest because I managed to get myself sorted out before it escalated to that level," he told The Mirror. "I’m the sort of person who prefers an ounce of prevention to a pound of cure, and I get myself checked up. At the first sign of a problem, I’m straight on to the doctor. This campaign is about making people aware of heart disease and how we can save lives."