Former West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce has admitted that he may never manage again if he is out of a job for too long.
The 60-year-old left the Hammers in the summer after the club decided not to renew his contract, and Allardyce is wary that other managers have been forgotten in the past.
The Englishman told the Daily Star: "The hunger to work again will kick in but I do not know when that will be - that's why I am not saying when I am coming back.
"It might never happen. I hope it does but there will be a time when it does not. It has happened to my mates down the years, where you are so quickly forgotten.
"There is a certain period of time when you can have a rest and a time when it is right to get back in because if you wait too long you get forgotten."
Allardyce has managed Bolton Wanderers, Newcastle United and Blackburn Rovers in the top flight and led West Ham to a 12th place finish in the Premier League last season.
Nathan Staples
