Mac - England made me better

McClaren: Itching to get back into management

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Steve McClaren believes his time with England made him a better manager, and he is now itching to prove it.

After appearing at a coaches' convention in Baltimore, America, McClaren claimed the lessons learned during his 18 months in charge of the national team will only make him stronger.

"I learned fantastic lessons and had a great experience, positive and negative," McClaren said.

"I went through some adversity and had some good times like in every job. Not a lot of people experience that.

"I think as long as I reflect and learn, which I have done, I can come back more determined the next time around, whatever the challenge is."

Opportunity

It is two months since McClaren was sacked in the wake of England's failure to qualify for Euro 2008, and the 46-year-old wants to get back into the game as soon as the right opportunity presents itself.

"I'm not one for lying on the beach," he said.

"I've taken a vacation, had some rest and a holiday with the family, but it's a new year and a new beginning. I'm keeping myself busy waiting for the next challenge, whatever that might be.

"Who knows? It might be tomorrow, six weeks, who knows in football? I'm just waiting for the right one and making sure I'm prepared."

McClaren said he is "not restricted" on where in the world he goes next, but admitted he would prefer a return to the Premier League, where he managed Middlesbrough after a spell as first-team coach at Manchester United.

"I've coached (in the Premier League), I know the players and the league inside out," he said.

Achieve

"My record at Middlesbrough shows that I know what it takes to stay in that league, to achieve in that league. It's a great league, the most popular in the world."

Impressed by the set-up he has found during a number of recent visits to the United States, McClaren even suggested Major League Soccer would be a possibility.

"I'm not dismissing anything and I wouldn't," he said when asked about the league. "Football is football and I think the experience is beneficial, whatever country it is in."