Harry Redknapp's hopes of being offered the England job were given another major boost when the FA revealed what they were looking for in Fabio Capello's successor.
FA chairman David Bernstein refused to confirm whether Redknapp was his number one target to replace Capello, who quit on Wednesday over the John Terry captaincy storm.
But he set out a list of criteria necessary to land the job, and Tottenham boss Redknapp would appear to tick every box.
"There clearly is a preference for an Englishman," Bernstein said. "In the end, we want the best person.
"Clearly, an English or a British person would have a good start in the matter."
Bernstein also revealed the ideal candidate would be "experienced" and "be able to hit the ground running very, very quickly".
He added: "I imagine any manager we take on will have detailed knowledge of English players and understand the scene very well.
"We expect an experienced, top man to be able to pick up the reigns very quickly."
Current and former players and managers have been queuing up to endorse Redknapp, including Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and Jermain Defoe.
Newcastle boss Alan Pardew and Sunderland counterpart Martin O'Neill have both ruled themselves out of the running, the latter saying the job should go to Redknapp.