Sam Allardyce is the only Englishman with credible prospects of succeeding Roy Hodgson as England manager, with the Football Association accepting that the dearth of domestic candidates makes it a necessity to pursue the option of appointing a foreign coach.

FA chief executive Martin Glenn, vice-chairman David Gill and technical director Dan Ashworth have held preliminary discussions to formalise a list of criteria for the next England manager to adhere to.

And while there remains a desire to appoint an English manager to replace Hodgson, who resigned in the wake of England’s Euro 2016 elimination at the hands of tournament minnows Iceland last month, Allardyce is viewed as the only Englishman with the track record to warrant consideration.

Gareth Southgate, the England U21 head coach, and Glenn Hoddle, who has not managed since leaving Wolverhampton Wanderers 10 years ago, are both in the frame to act as an interim manager should the FA’s search still be ongoing when the World Cup qualifiers begin with a trip to Slovakia in September.

Despite Southgate’s reluctance to work as an interim manager, the FA have still to rule the 45-year-old out of the running for that position.

However, there is a determination to appoint an established manager as Hodgson’s successor and Allardyce, who kept Sunderland in the Premier League against the odds last season, is regarded as possessing the experience, track record and personality to take on the England job.

At 61, the former Bolton, Newcastle, Blackburn and West Ham manager is seven years younger than Hodgson and still keen to manage his country having been overlooked in favour of Steve McClaren following Sven-Goran Eriksson’s departure from the post in 2006.

Allardyce remains an outsider to land the England job, though, with Arsene Wenger and Laurent Blanc ahead of him and Jurgen Klinsmann, currently managing the United States, installed as the bookmakers’ favourite.