Senior figures at the FA think Lee Carsley has just one rival for the England job, according to reports.
The 50-year-old was appointed as interim boss earlier this summer following the departure of Gareth Southgate, who walked away after his side's 2-1 defeat to Spain in the final of the European Championships in Germany.
Carsley has since won his first two matches, with England beating Ireland and Finland earlier this month.
With the former Everton midfielder impressing, it seems more and more likely that he could be given the keys to Wembley on a permanent basis.
England next manager: The FA could end up hiring Lee Carsley on a permanent basis
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And HITC say figures within the FA think Carsley has just one serious rival for the job.
That man is Newcastle's Eddie Howe, who is said to be 'concerned' about recent developments over on Tyneside.
Newcastle appointed Paul Mitchell as their sporting director following the departure of Dan Ashworth, who left for Manchester United.
But the former Monaco, Tottenham and Southampton chief struggled to land some of the club's top targets, much to Howe's frustration.
As things stand, Mitchell is unlikely to leave his position at Newcastle.
But Howe remains worried behind the scenes, especially after the club's pursuit of Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi ended in failure.
The report says Howe was frustrated that Newcastle had to sell Elliot Anderson and Yankuba Minteh to comply with the Premier League's Porfit and Sustainability Rules.
And Howe was unhappy that Mitchell appeared to blame the Toon's old recruitment team, too.
The former Bournemouth boss fiercely defended Newcastle's previous recruitment regime, saying: “I’m very, very proud of every single player that we signed in that period.
“It is very easy to look back at any transfer window and make a judgement on the players you have signed three years down the line.
“You have to go back to the situation when we were in those moments, in the relegation zone and trying to recruit players.
"That is not an easy thing to do. You’re also recruiting not just for the short term, but for the long term.
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England next manager: Eddie Howe is seen as a serious rival to Lee Carsley
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“When you look back, that work was good.
"Our objective was to stay in the league, so I’m not going to critique every signing, but I’m very, very proud of the body of work that we did and the players that we have now from the legacy of those transfer windows.
“We love them to bits. So I think it’s about when you’re in that moment and the decisions that you made.
"I think everyone can hold their heads up very high.”
England next manager: Lee Carsley won his first two matches in charge during the recent international break
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As well as Carsley and Howe, Graham Potter and Pep Guardiola have emerged as candidates.
Potter remains out of work following his sacking from Chelsea last April, while it's unclear what Guardiola will decide to do with his Manchester City contract due to expire in 2025.