McClaren poised to get England job

Koen Freriks

1 mei 2006, 22:53

Middlesbrough manager Steve McClaren will be named as Sven-Goran Eriksson's successor as England coach by the end of the week, according to newspaper reports on Monday. McClaren, who also works as Eriksson's assistant, moved to the top of the Football Association's wanted list after Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari decided last week not to take his interest in the England job any further, the reports said. Citing media intrusion that comes with the job, and which by Scolari's standards was already in full swing, Brazil's 2002 World Cup-winning coach pulled out of a deal that could have earned him several million pounds a year.

McClaren did his England prospects no harm on Thursday when Middlesbrough produced a remarkable comeback to reach the final of the UEFA Cup. Middlesbrough came back from three goals down to defeat Romanians Steaua Bucharest 4-3 on aggregate, setting up a showdown with Spain's Sevilla in Eindhoven on May 10. Eriksson will step down as England coach after the World Cup in Germany. England open their campaign against Paraguay in Frankfurt on June 10.