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FA to appoint England boss near end of the season

Will Stuart Pearce be the man to lead England into the Euros? © PA Photos

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The FA has revealed the new England manager will not be appointed before the "back end of the season".

England have been without a manager since Fabio Capello's surprise resignation on February 8, with England Under-21 manager Stuart Pearce taking charge for the 3-2 home defeat to Netherlands on Wednesday.

Pearce has said he would be happy to step in if required, but it is understood the FA is ideally looking to appoint Jose Mourinho, Harry Redknapp, Arsene Wenger or Pep Guardiola.

"We've got a list. Long, short... there's definitely a list," FA general secretary Alex Horne said as he arrived at the International FA Board meeting in Bagshot. "It's a back-end-of-the-season decision for us.

"We recognise that a lot of the managers on the list are employed and we don't want to interrupt anyone's season. We're not rushing this and we are expecting something at the back end of the season."

Horne feels there is no significant problem with appointing a manager just weeks before the start of Euro 2012 in June.

"That's perfectly realistic," he said. "We've got all of our operational plans in place. We can deliver a squad into Poland so it is perfectly possible."

ESPNsoccernet has been informed that Real Madrid boss Mourinho will be sounded out over the role. The FA had previously attempted to appoint Mourinho following the sacking of Steve McClaren.

It has always been the case that the FA would prefer an Englishman, which still leaves Redknapp in pole position, but it may prove more cost-effective to sign Mourinho than try to sort out a compensation package with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.

West Brom manager Roy Hodgson is also on the shortlist, and considered the safe pair of hands. Hodgson, unlike Redknapp, also offers vast international experience.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.