Gianfranco Zola has backed prospective England coach Fabio Capello as the ideal replacement for Steve McClaren.
With Jose Mourinho now a confirmed non-runner, Capello is leading the race for the England job.
Although the Football Association have been at pains to point out there is no number one candidate, Capello's CV stands out, even among a cast list that includes World Cup winner Marcello Lippi.
FA chief executive Brian Barwick and director of football development Sir Trevor Brooking will confirm as much when they hold their first face-to-face meeting with the 61-year-old this week, almost certainly on Wednesday.
Having made his interest in the job public during the immediate aftermath of McClaren's sacking, Capello is unlikely to provide anything in private other than further confirmation he is the right man for the job.
Should Barwick and Brooking reach the seemingly inevitable conclusion, they will make their recommendations known to the FA board, who should merely rubber-stamp the appointment.
With no other loose ends to tie up - and no compensation to pay - Capello could be installed as early as the end of the week, although it is possible the matter may drag out slightly longer as the FA have a board meeting already planned for Soho Square next Wednesday.
While the obvious drawback with Capello is that he has little command of the English language, seven titles in Italy and Spain, plus vast experience gained at some of the biggest clubs on the planet, including Juventus, AC Milan and Real Madrid leave no argument over his prowess as a coach.
It has already been suggested Capello will ask Zola - who helped coaching Italy at last summer's European Under-21 Championships - to assist him.
The Chelsea legend has offered no opinion on that particular matter.
However, Zola is convinced Capello is the right man to lift England from their present pitiful state.
"Fabio Capello possesses the ideal pedigree to create a new era of success for England," he told the London Evening Standard.
"Even when Jose Mourinho was in the running I believed that Capello had even more charisma, talent and experience for a challenging job like this one."
Like so many observers, Zola simply cannot understand why a country boasting so many top players should continually fail on the international stage.
It is still staggering to think a team possessing the talents of Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney, John Terry, Frank Lampard, Rio Ferdinand and Michael Owen should completely fail to reach the last 16 of Euro 2008.
And, while Capello's reputation is one of a hard man, who will not stand any challenge to his authority, Zola believes his track record shows he is capable of getting the best out of his players.
"When I was in England, many players indicated to me that they were not sure why the national side underperformed," he said.
"The conclusion I drew was that there is something of a mental block.
"Whoever the next manager of the English national team is, his first task will be neither technical nor tactical but instead to build confidence, a team spirit and to ensure that his players are ready to follow his leadership.
"These are more things which are perfect for a coach like Capello."
As well as Zola, former England skipper Alan Shearer and current Under-21 coach Stuart Pearce may also be heavily involved if, as appears increasingly likely, Capello is installed.
Ironically, given the prominence David Beckham played in his life during 2007, Capello's first game in charge would be against Switzerland at Wembley on February 6, when the LA Galaxy midfielder is likely to win his 100th cap.
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