STEVE Evans believes the next Bradford City manager must guide the club into the Championship as he declared: I’m ready to return to work.

The Scot left Leeds United at the end of last season after his contract was not renewed and he will sit down with his advisors today to discuss his options.

Evans claimed he has two clubs interested in him, with City’s League One rivals Oldham heavily linked with a move for the 53-year-old.

Having returned from a trip to China where he says he turned down a “mindblowing” offer to manage a club, Evans admits the lure of Bradford would be hard to ignore.

He told the Telegraph & Argus: “Bradford City is a great club with a great history who have been in the Premier League.

“They have a fantastic passionate support who really are the 12th man and whoever gets the job will have the pressure to get the club into the Championship.

Phil Parkinson had great success with the cups runs and the promotion to League One was fantastic.

“He probably left thinking they could have maybe got to the Championship last season with a bit of luck because they had the quality of players to get there.

“It just didn’t come for them at the end, but whoever comes in has to get Bradford City into the Championship ASAP.

“That’s the challenge for the new owners because they have lost two great owners in Mark Lawn and Julian Rhodes.

“I know James Mason, the chief operating officer, and it’s up to the people there to come up with a strategy to get the club promoted.

“For me it’s not about finance, it’s always about an opportunity to build and develop something, which is what I did at Crawley and Rotherham.

“Whoever gets the Bradford job, I would like to think they are getting the opportunity to build something and become a force in League One.

“Whether that lies with me, I 100% couldn’t tell you, but if Steve Evans goes into a football club, he has to believe there is a plan there.

“I don’t need to work tomorrow and if I do work then it has to be at a football club with a plan.”

Evans said he was not concerned about his standing with Bantams supporters following previous misdemeanours in games involving Bradford, which included him being given a six-match stadium ban and fined £3,000 by the Football Association.

Evans was found guilty of "using abusive and insulting words and behaviour" towards a female member of City's staff when in charge of Crawley Town following a League Two game in March 2012.

Five players were sent off in the dressing room after a post-match brawl but Evans said: “What happened before has been well documented but that was a long, long time ago now.

“I’m just focusing on the fact I’ve had huge success at Crawley, even more huge success at Rotherham and in the words of Mr Cellino, we achieved huge success at Leeds in a short space of time.

“If we had been there longer, they could have put the kettle on because we would have been in the play-offs.

“I now become available for work and the financial offer I’ve just had was mindblowing.

“But I didn’t want to take my family or my career to China - I had a good look round but it’s not for me.

“It was with a club over there, one league below the top league, and they targeted me from the minute they knew I was leaving Leeds.

“When they announce their new head coach, they will clarify that I was first choice.

“I came back and had the first debrief with the people who look after me.

“They said there are a couple of clubs who are keen to speak to me, so I’m going to meet them this morning and we’ll see where that goes.

“I’ve always believed you have to go and speak to clubs. At Rotherham, I had three or four opportunities but it wasn’t right to leave until the time that I actually did.”

Garry Monk has since been appointed at Leeds and Evans insisted he was not bitter, adding: “I would have been managing in the Championship now if I had known Leeds’ decision earlier.

“But Mr Cellino has gone and appointed Garry Monk, so I can’t have too many grievances.

“Leeds United should be in the Premier League and Bradford City should be the other club in Yorkshire fighting to get in there.”