The English FA will launch a global search for the next England manager – but Arsene Wenger is already at the top of their list.
Gareth Southgate will be placed in caretaker charge and is expected to lead the Three Lions into the World Cup qualifying campaign, which starts on September 4 against Slovakia.
But FA bosses admit the next appointment is massive and that they want someone with vast experience at the highest level to replace Roy Hodgson.
He quit in the wake of Monday night’s shambolic defeat to Iceland in Nice that saw England exit Euro 2016.
A three-man panel of FA chief executive Martin Glenn, technical director Dan Ashworth and vice-chairman David Gill will make the final decision on who the new boss is.
But Glenn admits there will be no rush and that the FA are prepared to wait as long as it takes – up to a year if necessary – to get the right man.
Starsport understands Arsenal boss Wenger, who has one more season to run on his Arsenal deal, is the No.1 choice while the likes of Claudio Ranieri and Brendan Rodgers are also on the shortlist.
Ashworth, who will head the search, said: “Arsene Wenger has been here (Premier League) since 1996.
“Has Arsene got a fantastic understanding of the Premier League, of English players, of the English media, of the expectations of England? Absolutely.
“So would you rule him out? Probably not. He might not want it.”
Glenn revealed FA power-brokers would even consult England’s senior players about the appointment and refused to rule out asking Sir Alex Ferguson.
Glenn said: “We’d like to get one for the first World Cup qualifier, but if we don’t we have an interim plan in mind.
“We clearly need an inspirational manager who can harness all of the resources that the English game, the big resources, has got, everything we have now got at St George’s Park, to make us more resilient in tournaments.
“That I think is the brief and we want to work that through, but it is an inspirational manager and management team to get the best out of a squad which has got high potential.
“I won’t be drawn (on targets), but track records are very important. But there might be other criteria that would rule people in.
“In my short time in the role, I do appreciate that running a national team is a very different skill set to running a club, but clearly, a track record is an important part of any process.
“I said I am not talking about names. I will sit down with David at the end of the week and we will work out what the process is.
“We are going to use the opinions and wisdom and insight of current managers, former managers and players.
“There’s going to be a broader process of consultation.”
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