DURBAN - Franz Beckenbauer has urged the Football Association to make Jurgen Klinsmann the next England manager.
The Germany legend believes the former Tottenham striker would be "ideal" to be Steve McClaren's successor.
Klinsmann would be a controversial choice as he is based in California, but he has proved himself by getting Germany to the semi-finals of the 2006 World Cup.
Beckenbauer said: "For him the England job would be ideal, and also for England.
"Jurgen is a man who has clear visions and he can push them through against opposition.
"With him I could very well imagine a new beginning in England.
"He has three years until the 2010 World Cup to build a new team and he would not have to worry about the problems of the past.
"He speaks the language perfectly, enjoys a brilliant reputation in England because of his stint at Tottenham, when he was Footballer of the Year.
"He's looking for a new challenge in a country with great tradition and enthusiasm for football, if you ask me it is better for him to take a national team job than a post with a club where you can be worn down by the daily routine.
"Something has to happen quickly over there. I am already curious whether the FA has the same idea as me."
Beckenbauer said England had underperformed for years but that Euro 2008 would be poorer without them.
He added in his column for Bild: "One still can't believe this, and the European Championships will be missing something next summer, no question about that.
"The motherland of football should have been a part of it.
"One has to ask himself what has the team with the big names such as Lampard, Gerrard or Beckham in the last year achieved. Since their 5-1 triumph in Munich, the answer is nothing much really and that was back in 2001.
"In the next three tournaments they were always quickly back home on their island.
"The team appeared to be lifeless for me. Even against an injury-ridden Germany team, England lost three months ago at Wembley in embarrassing fashion.
"The country now faces a similar dilemma as we did in 2000 after our early exit from the Euros. What's going wrong? Is the Premier League only booming because there are so many foreign players?
"Who can carry the boys with the three lions on their shirt out of their coma?
"One name comes to my mind immediately: Jurgen Klinsmann."
