Barwick has pledged to begin an exhaustive search for Steve McClaren's successor, consulting with past England managers and other senior figures within the game before making his recommendation known to the wider FA board.

Yet many will claim that if Mourinho is as interested in the job as appears from the comments that have emerged from Portugal, Barwick has no need to speak to anyone other than the man himself.

For, while most of the managers who have ruled themselves out of contention - with the notable exception of Martin O'Neill - were never likely to be asked anyway, Mourinho would appear to tick every box on Barwick's wish-list.

Charismatic, English-speaking, respected, mentally strong, known by the players and, above all, successful, Mourinho has the capacity to enthuse a nation totally disenchanted with its football stars in the wake of their failure to reach Euro 2008, something even O'Neill would not be able to do.

In fact, given an completely unrestricted choice, it is quite possible the only challenge to the 44-year-old among the wider public would be Arsene Wenger, who has already made it clear he will not leave Arsenal.

Given Mourinho's stated desire to return to club management following his abrupt departure from Chelsea and his claim the only national side he would be interested in leading is his own, there must be an element of doubt over whether his 'come and get me' plea can be taken totally at face value.

The only way Barwick will find out is by speaking to Mourinho directly, so it is inconceivable some form of contact will not take place in the near future.

Certainly, senior figures within the FA are taking Mourinho's comments seriously enough to feel his appointment is possible.

And the organisation has moved forward a long way since the claims of a similar forthright and controversial figure, Brian Clough, were ridiculously overlooked three decades ago.

Indeed, it could be argued that a confrontational character is exactly what the FA need in charge of the England team right now to wipe away the suspicion of a McClaren era tainted by the perception of an unhealthy desire to meet the demands of outside influences, particularly the media.

Mourinho would also be an undoubted asset to the FA commercially, so even if his stay was relatively brief and did not end in World Cup glory, the spin-offs could be extremely positive.

Former Juventus and Real Madrid coach Fabio Capello also has his supporters within Soho Square, so Mourinho cannot be regarded as an automatic choice just yet.

Capello, whose vast CV includes seven league title wins, the most recent with Real in La Liga, has made no secret of his desire to take on the England job.

And, even though he has not mastered English, the language issue is not viewed as an insurmountable barrier.

The 61-year-old Italian would probably have the edge over Guus Hiddink, whose future with the Russian FA is again open to doubt, although having already experienced the political manoeuvrings of the Dutchman's agent Cees van Nieuwenhuizen once following the exit of Sven-Goran Eriksson, the FA would have no real desire for a repeat.

Whoever does eventually get appointed, it is looking increasingly likely one of their first games in charge will be against the old enemy Scotland at Wembley.

Barwick's Scottish FA counterpart Gordon Smith made initial contact in Durban during the build-up to Sunday's World Cup draw and while agreement is yet to be reached over a May meeting of football's oldest international rivals, influential figures high up in Soho Square's chain of command are known to be enthusiastic for the venture.