England players fear Roberto Martinez could be in line to succeed Roy Hodgson as manager.
The FA will today begin their search for Hodgson’s replacement after the 68-year-old stood down in the wake of England’s humiliating Euro 2016 exit to Iceland here in Nice.
Gareth Southgate is considered to be an early front-runner for the post given his close working relationship with FA director of elite development Dan Ashworth and the organisation’s desire to appoint an Englishman.
The Under-21 coach was involved in determining the FA’s ‘England DNA’ philosophy — unveiled in December 2014 — and is viewed as a candidate willing to continue along the same path of developing a young squad in the same manner as Hodgson attempted during his four years in charge.
The FA are not expected to rush into an immediate decision, however, given there are more than two months until England’s next game – a 2018 World Cup qualifier in Slovakia on 4 September – and will consider several candidates including, but not limited to, foreign coaches with extensive experience working in England.
Martinez was discussed in senior FA circles as a possible option prior to his sacking at Everton and Standard Sport understands several players in the England set-up are already wary of the prospect of working with the Spaniard.
Hodgson informed his players that he would be leaving shortly before delivering a statement to assembled media inside the Allianz Riviera stadium and talk in the dressing room quickly turned to the identity of his successor.
Martinez is viewed by some as a genuine contender but it is believed that while there is no inherent objection within the squad to an overseas manager, the 42-year-old would not be a universally popular choice after suffering a breakdown in the relationship with his players towards the end of his tenure with Everton.
Gary Neville has long been viewed as another candidate but he is unlikely to be considered, having resigned along with Hodgson and assistant manager Ray Lewington. Neville’s reputation was further damaged by a disastrous four-month spell in charge at Valencia and it remains to be seen whether he is considered to be tarnished by association after England’s catastrophic failure this summer.
Brendan Rodgers was reportedly sounded out before taking over at Celtic, while Alan Pardew and Eddie Howe may have their supporters after achieving varying degrees of success at club level with Crystal Palace and Bournemouth respectively. Foreign options include West Ham’s Croatian-born boss Slaven Bilic and Tottenham’s Mauricio Pochettino but the Argentine has only recently committed his future to Spurs by signing a long-term contract. Arsene Wenger has been approached on more than one occasion but his Arsenal deal has another year to run.
No member of the panel which appointed Hodgson in 2012 is still at the FA — Trevor Brooking, David Bernstein, Alex Horne and Adrian Bevington have all left. Ashworth and chief executive Martin Glenn will lead the search for his replacement.
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