Guus Hiddink has cast doubt over his future as manager of Russian side Anzhi Makhachkala by opening the door to a Chelsea return.

The 66-year-old has been linked with the Blues job on numerous occasions since his short stint in 2009 ended and he has again been linked with current interim boss Rafael Benitez set to leave at the end of the season.

Hiddink, who had a similar task to Benitez in guiding Chelsea to the end of the season, won the FA Cup and was somewhat unfortunate to be knocked out in the semi-finals of the Champions League by Barcelona.

Energetic

The Dutchman takes his Anzhi side to Newcastle United in the Europa League tonight with the tie currently level at 0-0 and has declared his admiration for the English game.

He told the Sun: “I enjoyed working in the Premier League very much. I follow the Premier League a lot.

“Managers and coaches like to work in the big leagues.

“I don’t know about my future, because I’m not the youngest any more, though I still feel very energetic and I love to be on the pitch almost every day with the guys.

“There’s energy left but I can never predict my future because a big part of my future is behind me.”

Hiddink also revealed his love for the Chelsea in what seems to be a dig at the current boss.

Respect

“I very much liked the attitude of the players I had in my time at Chelsea,” he added.

“I very much liked the atmosphere in the stadium, the public who come and enjoy and respect very much the way we are playing.

“The fans can be full of criticism, but mainly they enjoy going to the stadium.

“As managers we have an obligation to put ourselves in the position of the public and why they’re coming to the stadium.

“They respect football such a lot here and the situation is vice versa for us, that’s why I’ve got such a lot of respect for them.

“It’s a place where you can work properly.”