Right club, wrong time ... Neil Warnock on why he won't be Rotherham United's next manager

Neil Warnock would have been an obvious choice to lead a Rotherham United Championship survival bid for the second time, following the sacking last week of manager Matt Taylor.

But the veteran boss responsible for the miracle of 2016 when he kept the club up against all odds in an unforgettable 12-match stint has spelled out his reasons for closing the door on a possible return to AESSEAL New York Stadium.

“I don't work until February, do I?” said the 74-year-old who worked similar wonders for Huddersfield Town last season.

Having parted company with the Terriers in September, Cornwall-based Warnock is planning to come to the aid of a second-tier side again in the New Year.

However, any job will be performed on a short-term, late-season basis.

“If I get one for two or three months (wife) Sharon will let me go for two or three months,” he said. “If there's another one after Christmas I'll take it on board.”

He has fond memories of his past New York heroics, describing it as one of the happiest times of his life and saying it stirred his interest in extending his long managerial career into a fourth decade.

He went on to lead Cardiff City in the Premier League before moving on to Middlesbrough and then Huddersfield.

He's anticipating a team turning to him for yet another safety mission but hasn't given up hope of a different kind of challenge.

“It would be nice to get a mid-table club where I can have a go at the play-offs rather than somewhere bottom of the league or next to bottom where I've just got to keep them up,” he said.

Rotherham, who are in the drop zone after 16 matches, don't expect to make an appointment this week but may have a new man in place when they head to Hull City on November 28.

Their search has been going on since Taylor's departure and will step up in speed in the next few days.

The former boss's backroom staff, assistant manager Wayne Carlisle and coaches Scott Brown and Dan Green, have been placed in interim control and are likely to still be in charge on Friday night when the Millers are at home to Leeds United.