BOOKMAKERS reported a massive gamble last night on Paul Ince to succeed Kevin Keegan as Newcastle United boss.

The new Blackburn manager’s odds tumbled dramatically from 66-1 to 6-1 amid reports in the North East that he was a strong contender for the Toon job.

Last night, Rovers officials declined to comment on the link.

But the powers-that-be at Ewood Park are understood to be treating any possible move as a complete non-story, given that Ince is only two-and-a-half months into a three-year deal at Ewood Park and is expected to repay his total faith in Rovers after they offered him his big managerial break in the Premier League.

It is believed that Ince has emerged as a surprise contender due to his long-standing friendship with Newcastle’s director of football Dennis Wise, who is reported to have an influential role in appointing the new manager at St James’ Park.

In the 1990s, the two midfielders occasionally played alongside each other in the England engine room, and their relationship was forged further during Ince’s time as player-coach at Swindon, where Wise was manager.

Although the Magpies hierarchy are yet to compile a detailed short-list to replace Keegan, Ince is now seemingly on the radar, and his odds were last night shorter than that of former Newcastle and Rovers favourite Alan Shearer.

Reports from the North East now suggest United will be paying close attention to Blackburn’s display against Arsenal at Ewood on Saturday, as they quickly assess whether Ince has the required credentials to succeed in the Magpies hot-seat.

However, any move by the former Manchester United and Liverpool midfielder is highly unlikely at this stage of his career, especially as he is just three league games into his stay at Rovers.

Ince is unlikely to show any disloyalty towards chairman John Williams and the Rovers board after they recently plucked him from League Two champions MK Dons to provide him a platform at the highest level.

Outsiders may argue that the Newcastle job is one of the biggest in English football.

However, in each of the previous three Premier League campaigns, Rovers have finished above the Magpies, while they boast a far more settled squad.

Furthermore, at Blackburn, Ince is afforded total control of his squad in the transfer market, while Keegan resigned last week after disagreements with Newcastle owner Mike Ashley over the buying and selling of players at the club.