Former Valencia assistant manager Ian Cathro has said that he is not taking step a backwards by joining Newcastle United.

The 28-year-old is due to take up the role of assistant to Steve McClaren at the Magpies, following his exit from Valencia in May.

"It's a forward step to a different type of football. Not stronger or weaker, different," he told BBC Sport.

"I wanted a fresh challenge and didn't want to just sit it out over there and wait for the right manager's job to come up.

"To come into British football as a manager with no experience of working with English-speaking players is perhaps not advisable anyway so this makes perfect sense."

Cathro has spent the previous three years working alongside Nuno Espirito Santo at Rio Ave and Valencia.

Written by
Alex Meyers