Alan Shearer admits he's heard Pep Guardiola could be next England manager

Pep Guardiola could become England's next permanent manager, if Alan Shearer is to be believed.

The FA are on the hunt for Gareth Southgate's successor after the 53-year-old resigned following last month's Euro 2024 final defeat. In a temporary move, Lee Carsley has been handed the reins on an interim basis and is expected to take charge of England's upcoming Nations League fixtures in September.

As for permanent candidates, plenty of names have been floated, with Eddie Howe, Graham Potter, and Mauricio Pochettino seemingly the frontrunners. But it's understood that Guardiola, whose Manchester City contract expires in 2025, could be in the running too.

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On The Rest Is Football podcast, Shearer hinted at that he'd heard rumblings of the FA's interest in Guardiola, much to the delight of co-hosts Gary Lineker and Micah Richards.

"There are a couple of people who have actually said that [Guardiola being on the FA's wishlist] to me, but maybe that's just rumour," the former Newcastle United striker, 53, claimed.

Lineker questioned the importance of the England manager's nationality, prompting Richards to say: "If Pep was to go to England and win the World Cup, no one would care [that he isn't English]."

Adding to the jest, Lineker said: "The difference with someone like Pep or [Jurgen] Klopp or [Carlo] Ancelotti is that they've had experience in English football... so we can pretend they're English."

It's been reported that the FA is casting a wide net in their search for Southgate's replacement, keen to take a measured