Martin O’Neill may not wish to be the next England head coach, but he believes that José Mourinho “would be an excellent choice” to succeed Steve McClaren as Brian Barwick, chief executive of the Football Association, finalises plans to approach four or five names on his shortlist.

The Aston Villa manager, speaking to The Times in his first newspaper interview in this country for nine months, is still believed to be in the thoughts of English football’s governing body, despite his stance that he wishes to continue in his club role.

Beyond offering support for the former Chelsea and FC Porto manager, though, O’Neill has no desire to be involved in the process of identifying the man charged with restoring England’s reputation after their failure to qualify for the European Championship finals in Austria and Switzerland next summer.

After liaising with 12 leading figures in the game, including Sir Alex Fergu-son and Arsène Wenger, Barwick and Sir Trevor Brooking, the FA director of football development, are preparing to sound out Mourinho, Fabio Capello, Marcello Lippi and Jürgen Klinsmann as to their interest in the job while also offering O’Neill the opportunity to change his mind.

O’Neill, having been interviewed for the post before McClaren was appointed as Sven-Göran Eriksson’s successor last year, has maintained that he has no wish to be considered this time round. It is also thought that he believes he is too close to the selection process to be able to assist the FA, which is determined to avoid the cloak-and-dagger pantomime that characterised the last search for a head coach when McClaren was clearly not the first choice.

It is expected that the new man will be in place before England’s next game, a friendly at home to Switzerland on February 6. Geoff Thompson, the FA chairman, speaking at the launch of the 2008 Uefa Cup final design in Manchester, said: “We are determined to get the right man, at the right time. Brian Barwick has been charged with finding a manager to recommend to the FA board and is well under way with the process.”

Discussing youth development with club and country, O’Neill set the record straight over a misconception that he told the FA last year that the England head coach should not have to get involved in the progress of young players. “I never made those comments,” he said, “but eventually it’s about winning games at first-team level and hoping you can develop something that will stand your club in great stead, or allow you to make a mark at international level, over a period of time.”

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