Gareth Southgate has tipped Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard as future England managers.
The former Middlesbrough manager stumbled into the international job by accident after Sam Allardyce was forced to resign and is now preparing for the World Cup Finals in Russia.
Gerrard and Lampard were part of a decade of failure for the so-called Golden Generation and have both taken their first steps into management.
The smart money would be on both men failing as managers with former England heroes like Bryan Robson, Terry Butcher, Tony Adams and Stuart Pearce unable to make the transition into the dug out.
Steve McLaren, Roy Hodgson and Allardyce have all failed as England manager but the current boss feels that Gerrard and Lampard could crack it at international level.
“We want more English coaches and when in the future the England job is available, we want lots of high-quality candidates whether they have played or not played,” Southgate told the Daily Record.
“But there is obviously an advantage for the guys who have played in terms of the experiences they can pass on, among all the other things. It’s great to see two lads I think have a lot to offer the game stay in it.
“There’s an easier route to go but they haven’t taken that, and that’s brave.
“They’re going to have a different type of challenge. They’re going to develop different skills, different experiences but it’s great they’ve got the opportunity to put back into our game.”
Over the last week Archie Knox, Dick Advocaat and Graeme Souness have all tipped Gerrard to be a success.
Next week Gerrard will take his first ever senior training session.
