General secretary Alex Horne has revealed that the Football Association would like the next manager of England to be English.
Tottenham Hotspur boss Harry Redknapp has been widely tipped to take the role at the end of the season, although the likes of Roy Hodgson and Stuart Pearce have been linked with the job.
Despite insisting that the FA will consider all candidates, Horne has admitted that a home-grown candidate would be ideal.
"They don't have to be English but clearly that would be very preferable," he said. "We all get that. We think British is credible.
"It's key we have someone with very strong English communication skills, ideally someone who's got experience of managing English players."
England have been without a manager since Fabio Capello resigned last month.