Former England striker Emile Heskey believes Eddie Howe would be perfect for the Three Lions job if Thomas Tuchel left his post at St George's Park. However, he backs Tuchel to take the national team forward and learn from any mistakes that cost them in the World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina.
Englishman Howe has surprisingly ended his five-year spell at Newcastle United just under three weeks before the new Premier League season kicks off on August 21.
The North East side have endured a torrid time recently with their best players poached amid the club's battle to meet their financial fair play requirements.
Star striker Alexander Isak completed a British-record £125million switch to Liverpool last summer. That has been followed in recent months by the departures of winger Anthony Gordon to Barcelona and midfielder Sandro Tonali to Tottenham Hotspur.
Now, fan-favourite Bruno Guimaraes has been the latest player to be linked with a St James' Park departure. Arsenal are reportedly set to make a £70m offer for the Brazilian midfielder, in what would be another huge blow to Newcastle.
And Heskey, who starred for Liverpool, Aston Villa and several other clubs during his career, has now shared his view on the chaos at Newcastle as he speaks exclusively to Mirror Football on Howe's shock exit.
JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Latest news, analysis and much more on Mirror Football's Facebook page
"It's obviously not great for the players, not great for the club," Heskey said.
"I think he would have seen something and looked at how far he's brought them, and he's done a fantastic job to bring them to where he's brought them, but there is a ceiling, I think, within the club.
"And then missing out on transfers and not being able to get the players that he wants, and still having to try and push for Champions League, still trying to push for more and more.
"I think he's just probably looked at it and said he's taken them as far as you possibly can within the confines of financial fair play and what the club can actually do.
"He's done a fantastic job, to be honest. He's won a trophy and that's one of the things that the club would have put on him and he's done that."
The 48-year-old has previously been linked with the England job after earning admirers for his work at Newcastle and Bournemouth. Howe has also worked with FA chief football officer Dan Ashworth at St James' Park.
"The reality is that he's the best fit," Heskey admits.
"When you're looking at an English manager with the best CV and the most experience. The only thing is, it's one thing being a club manager when you're so used to being with the players 24/7, moulding them into what you want.
"Then you're bringing them all from different places and trying to integrate them and get them to play the way that you want within 10 days. It's very tough. He will have some time off because I don't think Tuchel's going anywhere too soon.
"If you're looking at club management, I would have definitely said Chelsea would have been a decent fit before they got [Xabi] Alonso. I think he does really well with younger players.
"He pushes them and drives them to do the best and not rest on their laurels. A lot of young lads, can at times rest on their laurels: 'We've done good, we've had one good game.' No, he will be pushing them. It's not one good game. It's a whole career. He's definitely one of those who will push them."
Newcastle are expected to appoint Al-Ahli boss Matthias Jaissle as Howe's successor. The German has a huge task to restore the Magpies' confidence before their season opener at home to Liverpool on August 23.
"There was so much promise when the owners came in because they've got so much money to spend, but they can't spend the money," Heskey said.
"You've got to balance the books and balancing the books means actually selling some of your best players.
"Aston Villa are in a similar boat. They're having to sell so many of the best young players; you don't really want to sell them, but it's just to balance the books. That's the tough side of it, where you're sitting there with an owner that wants to buy players, wants to invest money, but just can't do it.
"They've got a really huge fan base up there. They get their stadium rocking, but they just can't spend the money that they would want to do to challenge with the top four. Become the force that [Manchester] City are.
"It's difficult to say where they will be this season. Mid-table will probably be good. When you're just losing all your best players, mid-table is probably going to be your best ask.
"It's gonna be tough and it's going to be a lot of pressure on some of these young lads, and it's sad that they're having to sell in the way that they're having to sell."
While attention is returning to the club game, England fans and players will still feel some disappointment after their 2-1 defeat to Argentina in the World Cup semi-finals. Tuchel has been heavily criticised for his approach during the closing stages after the Three Lions went 1-0 up through Anthony Gordon, but Heskey believes the players must also take some responsibility.
"Look, everyone's disappointed," he says.
"You've got to remember there's sometimes mentality and sometimes thought process, everything just goes out the window. This is where I say we need leaders as well, because you can tell me one thing and if it's difficult, if it's different on the pitch, I've got to be able to change that myself.
"I've played in teams where we change certain things because it's just not working and you could see it wasn't working. So why not change it? Why not, on the pitch, change it? I'm a centre forward. I hold the ball up, and I run the channels. I make and create fouls.
"I give ourselves a little bit of breathing space. We didn't have any of that. Everything kept on coming back in.
"It's common sense sometimes and I'm not blaming the players as such, but they've got to take some blame as well. They've got to be held accountable as well because you're on the pitch. Sometimes I might see something from the side that is totally different to when you're actually in the heat of the battle, and you need those leaders to say, 'do this, step up there,' because you just hold the ball up, just do this or just do that.
"I played with lower teams, so we've had to do that. Playing against bigger teams and you're winning 1-0, and you're thinking how are we going to hold on to this? You do that up there; we'll do this here. Make sure you win this. Make sure you do that, and you're just constantly marshalling each other around."
Heskey has called for perspective on Tuchel amid calls in some quarters for his sacking. He added:
"I don't think he's done a bad job if I'm honest with you. I think he picked the right players.
"There might have been a case of having, maybe a Harry Maguire. If it's right at the death, there's someone who's going to put their head on the ball, I'm pretty sure he would have.
"But he chose who he chose. He stood by that and you've got to respect that. We got to the semifinals. Maybe a little bit of a change in mentality, and he understands the mentality of the players more and more now in those dark situations where your back's against the wall.
"I'm disappointed because you want to go to the final, but I'm not disappointed in the same way as everyone else is."
Heskey is helping to front a groundbreaking football safety app that tackles online and matchday abuse through real-time reporting. Organisations, leagues, clubs and supporter groups interested in partnership or early adoption can register their interest at www.footballsafetyapp.com .
