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New England boss must not be a mercenary

Must not be a mercenary but someone with a long-term vision for the team

The English Football Association is stepping up their search for Roy Hodgson's successor and will choose England's next manager with a long-term vision in mind.

Euro 2016 comes to a close this morning (Singapore time) but the Three Lions' involvement ended last month, having bowed out in humiliating fashion to Iceland at the last-16 stage.

Hodgson immediately called time on his four-year tenure, and those charged with bringing success back to the national team produced a three-point action plan at a meeting in Paris four days after the defeat in Nice.

Finding a new manager is one of the points FA technical director Dan Ashworth, chief executive Martin Glenn and vice-chairman David Gill settled on, along with undergoing a full assessment of Euro 2016 and undertaking a general review into England's displays across previous senior tournaments.

It is believed a consultation and review process has been completed, with Gary Lineker, Frank Lampard and Rio Ferdinand among the former internationals the FA spoke to, along with figures such as Harry Redknapp.

This means the FA is now ready to step up their search for Hodgson's successor and hone in on candidates.

Sam Allardyce, Glenn Hoddle, Redknapp and Eddie Howe are the leading English candidates with bookmakers, although United States boss and former Germany coach Juergen Klinsmann is the current favourite.

Odds shorted after Germany general manager Oliver Bierhoff, a close friend of Klinsmann, claimed that the 51-year-old was in discussions with the FA.

"Since the arrival of Juergen Klinsmann, who I think is in discussions with England, we have given the national team a certain pride, atmosphere and organisation," he said.

Bierhoff said Klinsmann would be a "good fit" for England given the resurgence he helped start with Germany, but the FA insists nobody has been formally spoken to about the vacant managerial position yet.

Gill and Glenn will no doubt speak about potential candidates when they attend the Euro 2016 final together.

MERCENARY

The FA is understandably keen to avoid appointing a mercenary as Hodgson's successor and will look to try and build a long-term vision.

Rather than a quick-fix, the governing body is looking beyond the 2018 World Cup in Russia and wants to build a legacy similar to that seen in Germany and Spain.

That does not rule out an older manager from the post but the FA is keen to have a clearer succession plan in place, allowing a philosophy to be fostered and taken on.

There is no timescale for when the FA want a new manager in place and an interim solution remains a possibility when England start their World Cup qualifying campaign in Slovakia on Sept 4.

- PA Sport.


"The success of the (German) story is the high quality but also the good organisation and good atmosphere we have in the group."

— German team manager Oliver Bierhoff on what Juergen Klinsmann brought to the national team when he was in charge


"Could I manage England, why not? I would never rule that out, but I am happy and focused on club football. England is my second country."

— Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger

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