STUART McCALL has revealed it would take "something special" for him to leave Motherwell after turning down the chance to become manager of Sheffield United.
McCall spoke with the npower League One club, where he spent five years as a player and then as assistant manager, with a view to replacing Danny Wilson who was sacked in April. McCall, though, has elected to remain at Fir Park where he is under contract for a further two years.
It is thought that the Motherwell manager – who has resisted interest from Burnley and Blackburn Rovers during his tenure at Fir Park – rebuffed the approach over concerns about the finances which would be available to him at Bramall Lane, with United having failed to gain promotion back to the Championship despite competing in the play-offs in the last two seasons.
"It has been a really difficult last few days," he said. "As most people probably know, I spent five great years at Sheffield United. I was grateful to the [Motherwell] board for allowing me to speak to them but I went with an open mind. I had no desire to leave Motherwell.
"There is no doubt Sheffield United are a fantastic club but, after careful consideration and deliberation, I am more than happy to continue my role at Fir Park. I have built up a tremendous feeling for Motherwell. It would take something really special to tempt me away."
McCall will now continue the job of rebuilding his squad for the new season, having already lost Darren Randolph to Birmingham City and Nicky Law to Rangers, both under freedom of contract. "As with the rest of the coaching staff and the board, we will continue preparations for the new season, adding new players and looking forward to a return to European football in early August," added the manager, who has already signed Paul Lawson from Ross County for the next campaign.
"That being said, we are absolutely delighted our manager has decided to stay with us. Stability and continuity when we are changing the squad is very desirable so it's a huge bonus to have Stuart continue in his current role. We are really excited about the future and the focus of everyone at the club will be to give Stuart and his staff all the support they need at an important time of the year."
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