Ex-Portsmouth, Arsenal and Tottenham defender Sol Campbell details managerial 'hurt' as he's overlooked for 16 jobs

Campbell remains out of work after departing Southend last summer following their relegation from League One.

The Blues' 2008 FA Cup-winning skipper claims to have applied for 16 roles since leaving Roots Hall – but made the interview process just once.

That was to take the Sunderland hot seat in December, although Lee Johnson was instead appointed.

Despite being a two-time Premier League winner with Arsenal and earning 73 caps for England, Campbell has struggled to gain a foothold in management since hanging up his boots.

The two clubs he's been in charge of – Macclesfield and Southend – both endured problems off the pitch.

And Campbell's disappointment is compounded by seeing former Three Lions team-mates such as Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney being given chances at Rangers, Chelsea and Derby respectively.

Campbell, 46, told the Daily Mirror: ‘I’m not going to lie. It hurts, don't get me wrong. It hurts when you don't even hear back from people. It just goes into a black hole, your CV.

‘If I had the chances that some of my other friends, team-mates I’ve played with, they’ve had three, four or five clubs, good clubs, Championship clubs who had a bit of money at the time.

‘They’ve been backed, given them a go, it might not have worked out, but they had a go, they had a good 18 months or two years to see what they can do, that’s all I need.

‘I’ve had two clubs with no budget and it’s not been the best start.’

Campbell was recently sounded out to succeed Aidy Boothroyd as England under-21s head coach.

Although he missed out on the job, he was pleased to have been in the reckoning.

Campbell added: ‘It was an honour for those guys, I think it was Nolan Partners, the headhunters, to seek me out and ask if I would like to apply.

‘It was fantastic to be involved in the whole process but I just wasn't what they were looking for.

‘The process was great, I loved it. Good luck to them in the future. It’s a great organisation. It was nice to be a part of it.’