Mourinho jets in after FA talks to Capello over England post

The search for the next England manager has taken dramatic steps forward with the Football Association interviewing Fabio Capello for the post – while Jose Mourinho is set to hold talks in the next few days.

The two men had emerged as the outstanding available candidates and the FA have responded to their overtures. Indeed a meeting has already taken place with Capello. The 61-year-old held talks with the FA in Milan last Friday at which he outlined his plans for the job and who he would want as part of his staff.

It is understood that, if offered the post, Capello would recruit Franco Baldini, his long-term right-hand man who has worked with him at all his clubs, as his assistant while there were also discussions about including Gianfranco Zola as part of his coaching team.

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Considering Zola, a former Chelsea striker, is partly to mitigate against the fact that Capello is still not fully confident in speaking English, and is concerned that this may count against him – although his grasp of the language is not as poor as has been portrayed.

After that meeting, the FA chief executive, Brian Barwick, called Mourinho's agent Jorge Mendes and has held initial talks with him. Sources close to Mourinho claimed that the former Chelsea manager flew to England last night at Barwick's invitation – although this was also denied by others close to him who insisted that he was still in Portugal, in his home town of Setubal.

However no one is denying that Mourinho will be interviewed at some stage, soon by Barwick who has shelved his initial scepticism, and the belief that the Portuguese was trying to use the FA as leverage for a top club job, following the negotiations with Mendes. Mourinho's wage demands would be high – he would expect more than £5m a year.

The decision to approach the two men shows that the FA are quickly moving on to the next stage of securing Steve McClaren's replacement. It is hoped that an appointment may be made before Christmas, and certainly in time for the friendly at home to Switzerland on 6 February.

It is thought that Jurgen Klinsmann, who has made clear that he is prepared to move from the United States to England, is also on Barwick's shortlist while he would also still like, if possible, to speak to Martin O'Neill even though the Aston Villa manager has ruled himself out.

The interview with Capello is not just a reward for the coach's formidable CV but also because he has been so enthusiastic - and diplomatic - in public about wanting the job. It did not go unnoticed at the FA, according to a source, that he reacted quickly to McClaren's sacking and also spoke in complimentary terms about the task of replacing him, describing coaching England as a "beautiful challenge".

Capello is available having been sacked by Real Madrid at the end of last season despite winning the Spanish title - 10 years after he last won La Liga with the same club. The Italian's career is studded with such honours, having won league titles with every club he has coached - from Milan, where he won four Scudettos and a European Cup, through to Juventus - where he also had had a distinguished player career - and Roma. He's the only coach to have completed the feat with three different Italian clubs. To add to his achievements Capello is a former Italian international, who scored the only goal in his country's victory over England at Wembley in 1973.

Capello still has a column in the Spanish sports daily newspaper Marca and recently said that England's problems were more "psychological" than "technical" and that the players suffered from a "mental block" when it came to appearing for their country. There is no doubt he would have the force of personality and strength of character to take on the role although his style can be unbending and abrasive. He certainly does not pander to ego. The functional style of football his teams play may also cause a concern although given England's lack of success that, as with Mourinho, may well not be a priority.

The speed at which Barwick is tackling the task is surprising especially as the FA had promised a "root and branch review" of how the senior team operates. Barwick has been given the job of finding McClaren's successor in an acknowledgement that the FA's collective approach last time round was ham-fisted. Along with Sir Trevor Brooking, the FA's director of football development, Barwick has quickly considered candidates having originally favoured a move for Aston Villa's Martin O'Neill. Although he has publically ruled himself out, Barwick is believed to have not totally discounted the chances of employing O'Neill.

Once a recommendation is made it will go before the main 10-strong FA board, who are due to meet next on 19 December, for ratification. The key players there are David Gill, the Manchester United chief executive; Lord Mawhinney, the Football League chairman, and Sir Dave Richards, the Premier League chairman.

Last week it was revealed that Barwick and Brooking would also talk to a number of key figures within the game to canvass opinion. They have consulted with England players John Terry and Steven Gerrard plus the Premier League's two most successful managers, Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger. During the World Cup draw in South Africa, talks also took place with Franz Beckenbauer, Michel Platini, John Toshack and Roy Hodgson. Since returning from Durban the pair have spoken to Sir Bobby Charlton and three former England coaches - Sir Bobby Robson, Graham Taylor and Glenn Hoddle.

McClaren, who was sacked just a year into a four-year contract after failing to qualify for Euro 2008, said yesterday that he believed England had a squad strong enough to win a major competition. "I think they (the FA) really have to choose the best man, and whoever that is, I have always believed there is enough in that squad, enough in those players, to be successful. Unfortunately, it didn't work out for me," McClaren said. "I'm a fan as much as anybody. The next man will have a great advantage going in with a long time to prepare." Despite being eligible for a £2.5m pay-off McClaren reiterated his desire to get back into management as quickly as possible and wants to find a job in the new year.