London: Steve McClaren, the hot favourite to take over as England manager, has faced an early example of the media scrutiny that persuaded Portuguese coach Luiz Felipe Scolari he no longer wanted the job.
The Middlesbrough manager has been forced to confess to The Sun newspaper that he had a three-month affair with a secretary during a trial separation from his wife.
"I don't know why this has come out at this time but I want to clear it up," McClaren said in a statement. "I feel this is a private matter but in view of speculation about myself and the England job, I felt I had to clarify the situation."
Scolari, who guided Brazil to the 2002 World Cup, told a news conference on Friday the media pressure since he emerged as the likely successor to Swede Sven-Goran Eriksson had been relentless.
"I don't want this situation," he said. "My privacy was totally under siege."
Scolari's decision has forced the FA to return to candidates they appeared to have rejected as a replacement for England's first foreign manager.
McClaren's stock has risen after a remarkable fight back on Thursday by Middlesbrough, who scored four goals to beat Steaua Bucharest 4-3 on aggregate and advance to the UEFA Cup final for the first time.
It mirrored the quarterfinal against Swiss club Basel when Middlesbrough also roared back with four goals.
After a modest playing career McClaren moved into coaching, enjoying a successful spell at Derby before joining Alex Ferguson at Manchester United. The partnership was immediately successful when United won the Premier League, FA Cup and European Cup in 1999.
In 2000, McClaren was named caretaker England manager prior to Eriksson's appointment. He took over at Middlesbrough in the following year.
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