Harry Redknapp believes there is a lack of clear contenders to replace Fabio Capello as England manager next year.
The Tottenham boss is the favourite to be offered the job and wants the next national coach to be English but does not see a strong list of candidates to succeed the Italian, who will leave after Euro 2012.
This morning, on the eve of Spurs' Champions League clash against AC Milan, Redknapp admitted that if he got the national job he would miss the regular involvement with players that he enjoys at club level.
"I'd like to see England have an English manager, whoever it may be," said the 64-year-old. "Could you imagine an England manager in charge of Italy? It would never happen. But it's not easy. There are not a million people who jump out at you.
"There are not many around. I'm sure a young guy will jump out somewhere in the near future who will be great and we would end up with an English manager. Whether I am ever asked... if I were asked, it wouldn't be an easy one. It's one of those jobs that once you get it, you get slaughtered.
"It doesn't seem a lot of fun. I was looking forward to going to training this morning, seeing the players, which is what I enjoy every day. What keeps me young is being involved every day."
There are only four other English managers in the Premier League: Blackpool's Ian Holloway, Steve Bruce at Sunderland, Alan Pardew at Newcastle and Roy Hodgson at West Brom.
Redknapp is the most successful of that group and has had a major impact since taking over at White Hart Lane in October 2008.
He led a team threatened with relegation that season to Champions League qualification in the following one, and a draw against Milan tomorrow will be earn Spurs a place in the quarter‑finals of the competition. Redknapp's recent record suggests he would do the job well if he were approached by the Football Association, but the former Portsmouth and West Ham manager has been surprised by the inability of a number of leading coaches to be successful as England manager.
"We've had great players year after year but not won anything since 1966," he said today at a charity auction for the One to One Children's Fund. "Bobby Robson came close in 1990 and Terry Venables should have been kept as coach after Euro '96.
"Now we've got one of the great managers of all time in Capello. His record tells you he's been there and done it at the top level everywhere. If he can't make a success of it, it's quite frightening."
Croatia Under-19 defender Renato Kelic is having a week's trial at Spurs.
To find out more about the fund visit www.onetoonechildrensfund.org
