London (Guardian) - Roberto Mancini would be interested in taking on the England manager's role vacated by Roy Hodgson following the side's elimination from the European Championship but Harry Redknapp has been ruled out.
Mancini, the Inter Milan manager, is keen to explore the possibility of returning to England where a successful four-year spell in charge of Manchester City brought a Premier League title and an FA Cup.
His position at San Siro has been cast into some doubt after a takeover by the Chinese retail giant Suning Commerce Group Co Ltd, which has taken a 70 per cent stake in the club at a cost of £220 million (S$384 million). Mancini has a year to run on his contract in his second spell in charge of Inter.
He is one of a number of names likely to be considered by the Football Association's technical director, Dan Ashworth, the chief executive, Martin Glenn, and the vice-president, David Gill, who are charged with appointing Hodgson's replacement.
The three-man panel met for the first time in Paris last Friday to begin the process of determining the succession and have spoken to a number of figures in the game to canvass views on England's flaws, both at Euro 2016 and in previous tournaments.
One of those questioned was Redknapp, who had considerable public support in 2012 only for Hodgson to be chosen to replace Fabio Capello as the England manager. The FA's conversations with Redknapp this time round did not extend beyond asking his opinion on how best to improve the national team's lot and he will not be considered as a candidate to take over on a permanent basis.
England's defeat against Iceland in Nice prompted Hodgson to step down as he neared the end of his contract, his hopes of a two-year extension through to the 2018 World Cup having been wrecked.
Gary Lineker, Rio Ferdinand and Frank Lampard have also been asked for their views on the side's recent failings at major tournaments.
A full assessment of the particular problems that beset the setup in France has also been commissioned, with those present at the team's base in Chantilly - including figures such as the former assistant Gary Neville, who departed with Hodgson - to be asked for their observations.
The FA are seeking a manager who can create a strong team identity for England over the long term, imposing a philosophy that will run through the various age groups within the development teams at St George's Park into the senior squad.
Sunderland's Sam Allardyce, Roberto Martinez and Jurgen Klinsmann, are likely to be considered, although the England under-21s manager, Gareth Southgate, has no interest in the role even on an interim basis. Arsene Wenger is willing to speak with the FA to offer advice, but is unlikely to pursue the job for himself.
No timescale has been set as to when an appointment must be made but given England are due to play their first post-Euros fixtures in September there remains a likelihood the team will have a temporary coach in charge for the start of their World Cup qualification campaign in Slovakia.
