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LONDON : Sven-Goran Eriksson has confirmed he is considering an offer to return to his old club Benfica after being told he has no future at Manchester City under Thai owner Thaksin Shinawatra.
Eriksson, who has had two successful previous spells at the Portuguese giants, met with Benfica's president Luis Felipe Vieira and incoming director of football Rui Costa in Manchester on Wednesday evening.
"I've had a meeting with the Benfica people," Eriksson said. "I'm considering the offer and it could be a step forward in my career. Let's see what happens."
Eriksson's agent acknowledged last week that the former England boss was unlikely to still be in charge of City at the start of next season after reportedly being given a dressing down by Thaksin over the club's dip in form in the second half of this campaign.
According to City sources, Thaksin has made it clear he intends to sack the Swede once he has lined up a replacement, but he still expects him to lead the club on an end-of-season promotional tour of Thailand and Hong Kong.
Eriksson has yet to commit to doing that although he did persuade his players to drop a threat of boycotting the trip in protest at the way he has been treated.
If Eriksson does agree a deal with Benfica, it could reduce the amount it will cost Thaksin to pay him off.
Having only taken charge at City last year, Eriksson has two years remaining on a contract worth a reported 1.5 million pounds (3 million dollars) per year.
According to the Portuguese press, Eriksson, who has kept a house near Lisbon, has been offered a three-year contract at Benfica, whom he managed from 1982-84 and then again for a three-year spell from 1989.
With Benfica struggling to qualify for next season's Champions League, Jose Antonio Camacho stepped down as manager earlier this week.
Eriksson has said he will give an indication about where his future lies after City's final Premier League match of the season, at Middlesbrough on Sunday.
City are on course to finish at least ninth in the Premier League table, a significant improvement on their 14th-placed finish to last season.
Eriksson won rave reviews for his transformation of the club in the first half of the season as signings such as Brazilian playmaker Elano and the Bulgarian winger Martin Petrov proved to be instant hits in English football.
City have faded since the turn of the year but Eriksson remains hugely popular with fans and players alike while failing to impress Thaksin, who believes the club should be challenging for a place in the Champions League.
The former Thai premier has reportedly identified Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari as the man to succeed Eriksson.
Scolari's representatives have confirmed that they have been in contact with City but it remains to be seen if the man who guided Brazil to World Cup glory in 2002 will be willing to take over from Eriksson. - AFP/de
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