FA invite Roberto Mancini to watch Malta game, fuelling link to England job - reports

According to Sky Sport Italia, the former Inter and Manchester City boss will be in the stands for today’s World Cup qualifier.

It seems he was invited directly by the Football Association, fuelling reports he is in negotiations for the England job.

Sam Allardyce parted company with the FA just weeks after taking over and Gareth Southgate is the caretaker manager.

Mancini is not the only option for England, but he is available after terminating his contract with Inter by mutual consent in August.

The FA don't have a huge selection to choose from, so Mancini is a serious contender. Gareth Southgate is ambivalent on whether he actually wants the job, though it is clearer that he isn't especially qualified for it. In the middle of the European domestic competitions and international qualification campaigns, most other potential candidates will be committed to their current jobs. Mancini is a free agent after leaving Inter Milan, simplifying any negotiations that might take place.

Mancini has managed in England, and had a good relationship with the press in his time at Manchester City, which would be a positive step considering the manner of Sam Allardyce's exit from the job.

Mancini cannot be the best choice. At this moment, England’s situation is fragile and they need someone able to follow the flow, work in the background and give his expertise to the team without attention-seeking behaviour. But in all this time as a manager Mancini demonstrated that he wants to be the only one who’s in command. The clash with Inter is the latest example.

If England need to rebuild a stable situation, maybe Mancini isn’t the right man. And maybe, even if he has won many trophies in his career, he’s a little bit overvalued. Then, he used to work constantly with the team as club manager: a national team couldn’t match perfectly with his skills.

On the plus side, he also has two strong points: he’s able to speak/understand English (not that automatic for Italian people); he already knows English football.

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