Choose an English coach - Platini

Uefa president Michel Platini believes the Football Association should appoint an Englishman as the successor to sacked England coach Steve McClaren.

The FA has been linked with several high-profile foreign coaches since the dismissal of McClaren last week.

But Frenchman Platini said: "England is such a strong country that they have to take an Englishman."

Former England defender Tony Adams wants the FA to seek the advice of former England managers.

Adams, who won 66 England caps, said: "What Sir Trevor Brooking - and I have every faith in him because he is a good man - should be doing is speaking to people who have been there and canvassing their opinion, men like Bobby Robson, Glenn Hoddle, Graham Taylor and Terry Venables.

"I remember when I was England captain David Dein came to me before Kevin Keegan was appointed and I said the best man for the job was Venables.

"I said the same when he approached me about Sven-Goran Eriksson but the point is they asked me.

"They should be doing the same with skipper John Terry, who has a fair bit of experience now."

Former England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson believes the FA would benefit from speaking to former managers of the national team.

"It is a good idea," said the Manchester City boss.

"But all we ex-England managers have been sacked by the FA so I don't know if they want to talk to us or not.

"But I'm sure everyone who had that job has strong opinions about what is right and wrong with the job."

Jose Mourinho, Phil Scolari, Guus Hiddink, Fabio Capello, Louis van Gaal, Jurgen Klinsmann and Northern Ireland's Martin O'Neill have all been linked with the England coaching vacancy.

But Platini believes that the appointment of an English coach would help to preserve the identity of the game in the country.

The large number of foreign players in the Premier League has been widely discussed following England's failure to qualify for Euro 2008.

"If I am looking for the manager of England, I would try to find a good English guy who everybody trusts to make a good team," he added.

"I like your football, I like the games, I like the fans and the passion - but I don't like the fact that it is too open in allowing in foreign players.

"In Arsenal now you don't have an English coach, English players, maybe not an English president soon.

"So why are they playing in England? Because of the fans, because of big business, because of the TV, because the clubs like that.

"When you lose with the national team, that is the soul of your football. It is my philosophy to protect the identity of the clubs and the country."

Source: BBC Sport