Robson makes O'Neill call

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O'Neill was made the early favourite for the post after Steve McClaren was sacked on Thursday but the Ulsterman has since reiterated his commitment to Aston Villa.

Robson, who led England to the World Cup semi-finals in 1990, wrote in his Mail on Sunday column: "In a perfect world, an Englishman would be best. Next best would be a British manager. But it's not a perfect world."

Robson hopes the former Celtic and Leicester boss can still be tempted but, if not, he sees no alternative other than to opt for a foreign candidate such as Fabio Capello or Jose Mourinho.

He added: "Above all, the right manager has to tick the right boxes. That means being bright, intelligent, experienced, a leader.

"Someone with a strong personality, tactical acumen, trophies in the bag and Champions League experience.

"Scratch your head and the only 'home' manager who gets close is O'Neill, who won silverware with Leicester and did well on the international stage at Celtic.

"If the FA sound him out and he really does mean 'no', we know that Mourinho and Capello have the personality and judgment to do a job for England."