Mick McCarthy has said that the only way he will again manage in the Premier League is if he earns promotion to the top flight with Ipswich Town.
The Tractor Boys are having their best season in a decade and currently lie third in the Championship, one point off top, after 25 games of the season.
McCarthy's last managerial stint in the top tier came with Wolverhampton Wanderers, who were relegated after sacking the Irishman in February 2012.
The 55-year-old feels that his last two dismissals at Wolves and Sunderland mean that his only hope of returning to the Premier League are with Ipswich.
"I don't think I'd get a Premier League job now," McCarthy told The Telegraph. "Why? I was out eight months when I lost the job at Wolves and there wasn't a sniff of a chance really, which I found quite sad.
"I had to take a club at the bottom of the Championship. I had nothing else offered. It disappoints me and surprises me a bit.
"I just think I lost the guilt-edged opportunity to become a bit more of a recognised Premier League manager by not staying up for a third year with Wolves. I think my CV would be a lot different, but they sacked me before I got the chance to do it."
Ipswich host Southampton in an FA Cup third-round replay tomorrow night before they target top spot in the league with victory at Millwall on Saturday.
Pascal Lemesre
