JAMIE CARRAGHER believes Harry Redknapp has the right credentials to be the next England manager – and reckons Martin O’Neill should also be in the frame.
Tottenham manager Redknapp has emerged as the clear favourite to succeed Fabio Capello, who resigned from his position on Wednesday following a fall-out with the Football Association.
The 64-year-old, who was cleared of tax evasion charges earlier the same day, has helped transform Tottenham into title contenders this season.
And Liverpool centre-back Carragher said: “I think if Harry Redknapp came in that is exactly the type of personality everyone would like to see.
“Man-management is the most important thing with England. You are not together long enough to improve players. The players should be improving at their clubs where they train every day.
“You need someone to make the players confident, feel good about themselves, a manager that makes sure players look forward to turning up all the time because that’s not something I can say, hand on heart, I did at times.”
Carragher won 38 caps for England, and was coaxed out of international retirement by Capello to feature in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
And the 34-year-old reckons Sunderland manager O’Neill should be the only realistic challenger to Redknapp for the national team post.
“I think the two people would be Harry Redknapp and Martin O’Neill,” said Carragher. “Martin O’Neill has just gone to Sunderland so it will make that difficult but for me they would be the two standout characters.
“Harry probably first (choice) with the Champions League experience he has had but also Martin O’Neill had that himself with Celtic a few years ago.
“They would be the two for me, if I was at the FA, that I would be sounding out and trying to get on board.”
Meanwhile, Glen Johnson, who established himself as first-choice right-back under Capello, has expressed his disappointment at the Italian’s departure.
Shortly after the news broke, Johnson tweeted: “Sad news to see Capello step down. Good man and a good manager. #ThanksForEverything.”
