Newcastle legend Kevin Keegan names shock Premier League player he'd sign first if he was managing today & explains 'profound' impact of Eddie Howe at St James' Park

Keegan is one of England's greatest ever players, having made his name during a trophy-laden spell with Liverpool before moving to the Bundesliga with Hamburg. He later returned to the United Kingdom for two seasons with Southampton before spending two campaigns with Newcastle. He briefly came out of retirement to play for Blacktown City in Australia, but that spell only lasted two games.

Now, he has returned to the spotlight by helping Guinness launch a new campaign which will see 10,000 free pints be poured around non-league grounds on Boxing Day. He surprised fans at Scunthorpe United, where he played three seasons in the Fourth Division, scoring 22 goals in 141 appearances before moving to Anfield.

Keegan managed in the Premier League, taking charge of just over 250 games in all competitions during his first spell at Newcastle, which lasted just under five years. He would go on to lead Fulham for little over a year before an ill-fated time as England manager, with his next role coming at Manchester City. He won 77 of his 176 matches between 2001 and 2005 and then made a brief return to Newcastle in 2008, though that stint only lasted 22 games.

Clearly an expert who knows a good player when he sees one, the 74-year-old picked out a current Newcastle star as the player he would look to sign if he were managing a team in today's game.

He said: "Bruno Guimaraes: a midfielder who plays with imagination and bravery, traits increasingly rare in possession-heavy modern football and perfect for an attacking, expressive side."

Keegan was speaking after returning to the club where he began his career, Scunthorpe United, to launch a new campaign which will see 10,000 free pints of Guinness poured at non-league grounds this Boxing Day. The former England manager got behind the bar himself to pull pints and join supporters in festive chants as Guinness celebrate the fans and volunteers who keep grassroots football alive. To check where the offer is available and redeem your free pint, visit: redemptions.fanzo.com/Guinness-Boxing-Day

Keegan was also delighted to see Newcastle end a 56-year trophy drought when they lifted the Carabao Cup last season.

He added: "I was absolutely delighted for Eddie [Howe] because he’s not just a good coach - he understands the identity and emotional heartbeat of Newcastle, something many managers before him struggled with. He’s rebuilt the club’s connection with supporters through honesty, hard work and a clear style of play, and delivering the first trophy in my lifetime since I was a child shows how profoundly he’s changed the mood around the place. 

"For Newcastle to challenge again, they need to keep building on that clarity - smart signings, patience, stability and maintaining their strong culture. With Europe now part of the journey, they finally look like a club moving upwards with real purpose."

Non-league fans up and down the country will be able to get their hands on a free pint on Boxing Day. Many supporters could find themselves watching such fixtures, with the Premier League only featuring one game that day, which coincidentally is Newcastle's trip to Manchester United.

Speaking about the lack of games, Keegan added: "The loss of the full Boxing Day fixture list takes away a treasured communal tradition; when every team played, it felt like the whole country came together through football."

Before then, Newcastle have an intriguing trip to Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday night. Howe's side have won three of their five games in the Champions League so far, most recently losing at Marseille after Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's double despite taking an early lead through Harvey Barnes. Following that trip to Germany, Newcastle face local rivals Sunderland, Fulham in the Carabao Cup, Chelsea, United and Burnley in their remaining December fixtures.