McClaren will not be the next England manager

Brooking says 2012 is too early for the 'wally with the brolly' to replace Fabio Capello

'Steve had a really difficult time,' says the FA's Trevor Brooking (GETTY IMAGES)

Fear not England fans, there will be no sightings of the "wally with the brolly" at Wembley Stadium any time soon.

Trevor Brooking, the Football Association's director of football development, has confirmed that Steve McClaren will not be following in Fabio Capello's footsteps as the next England manager.

Brooking recently suggested that McClaren, who lasted 17 months before being replaced by Capello, could return for a second spell in the hotseat after rebuilding his reputation by taking FC Twente to the Dutch title before moving on to Wolfsburg in Germany.

But in an interview with The Independent on Sunday, Brooking now says he never meant McClaren would be brought back as soon as Capello leaves his £6 million-a-year post after the 2012 European Championship finals, rather that he would be looked upon a couple of appointments later to eventually come back into the fray.

"Steve had a really difficult time and in years to come might be looked on as the ideal age to do the job again," said Brooking. "But 2012 would be too early for him to come back. He wants to get more experience."

So who then? Harry Redknapp is the punters' choice and, crucially, an Englishman, a seeming pre-requisite for the job. "Ideally we would still want an English coach but it's all about availability," says Brooking.