FA to appoint English assistant

England’s Football Association hope to appoint a young English manager shortly to work with current boss Fabio Capello.

The English coach would work under Capello, with the FA hoping for an appointment by the end of next month.

The news comes as no surprise after the FA promised to introduce more of an ‘English’ influence in the national team following a poor 2010 FIFA World Cup campaign.

The chosen young manager will be groomed into potentially being the next senior boss and will work closely with FA Director of Football Development Sir Trevor Brooking.

“It’s something which I spoke to Trevor about just before Christmas,” FA General Secretary Alex Horne said.

“I would expect by the end of February to have a name.”

Horne declined to comment on speculation former Newcastle manager Alan Shearer would take up the role, instead informing fans that although the FA had someone in mind, the exact details of the role were still being sorted.

“I’ve got a preferred candidate but I’m not going to give you a name. I envisage it will be a part-time contractual arrangement,” he said.

“What I’m working on with Trevor is the job description to make sure we understand it, so that it’s right. I think there are a number of things that somebody could help us with around the international set-up.”

Horne believes the role suits a young manager who is happy to learn from some of the best coaches in the country, including Under-21 boss Stuart Pearce and Under-17 manager John Peacock.

England Under-21 boss Stuart Pearce and Ray Clemence, the goalkeeping coach, are already part of Capello’s backroom team.

“It’s an environment where a young coach can come in and learn from Fabio, but also learn from the experiences of Stuart, John Peacock and the other national coaches that we’ve got,” Horne said.