Carlos Queiroz
Carlos Queiroz wants the Tottenham job. (Reuters) Reuters

Former Manchester United assistant manager Carlos Queiroz is "absolutely" interested in becoming Tottenham Hotspur's new manager following the dismissal of Andre Villas-Boas.

The Portuguese coach enjoyed two spells as Sir Alex Ferguson's right hand man during the 2002/03 season and again from 2004 to 2008, before being appointed Portugal's head coach.

Now in charge of the Iranian national team, the 60-year-old has expressed his desire to return to the Premier League and take the reins at White Hart Lane.

When asked if he would be interested in the Spurs job, Queiroz told BBC World Football: "Absolutely. Tottenham is a club I really appreciate a lot and I have great admiration.

"One of my coaching dreams is to get back to English football. I was very happy in Manchester. It was the most happy and outstanding football period of my career."

On his travels, Queiroz has taken on managerial roles at Sporting Lisbon, Real Madrid, United Arab Emirates and South Africa before taking on the Iran job in 2011.

Whether Spurs will approach the Portuguese coach over the filling the void left by Villas-Boas remains to be seen. A number of managers have been linked with taking the role at White Hart Lane, but perhaps worryingly for chairman Daniel Levy, many of those have distanced themselves from the job.

Guus Hiddink was the first to calm speculation regarding an imminent appointment, with the Dutchman recently signing a contract that will see him take over the Dutch national side following next summer's World Cup.

In a similar scenario, Spurs cult hero Jurgen Klinsmann committed himself to the United States set up, signing a deal that ensures he will remain coach until after the 2018 World Cup.

In further blows, Southampton manager Mauricio Pochettino and Swansea City boss Michael Laudrup have stated their intentions to remain at their current clubs, with Ajax head coach Frank de Boer also ruling himself out.

Russia manager Fabio Capello and former Spurs boss Glenn Hoddle remain in the frame for the job, with interim manager Tim Sherwood also still in contention.