Chelsea would be wise to leave Guus Hiddink in charge at Stamford Bridge for another season, former Netherlands striker Patrick Kluivert told ESPN FC.
Hiddink's second stint as Chelsea's interim boss is scheduled to end in mid-May, but Blues midfielder John Obi Mikel said earlier this week that a huge majority of his teammates wanted Hiddink to remain in charge for an extended period.
Italy coach Antonio Conte has been linked with the Chelsea job in recent days, but Kluivert -- who worked under Hiddink during his time in charge of Netherlands -- suggests the 69-year-old is an ideal candidate to get success out of a Chelsea dressing room containing a host of high profile personalities who need to be given freedom to express themselves.
"It seems to me that Hiddink's personality fits well at Chelsea," Kluivert said, speaking at a Champions League legends event sponsored by Doritos and Pepsi. "Chelsea have a lot of high-profile players, but he is a very calm guy and maybe this is what they need. He lets the players think for themselves and as part of a team.
"Every player who is at Chelsea is a high-standard player. They don't need to be told too much about how to play the game. Line it up for them, give them some basic guidance and this is all you need. Hiddink is very good at doing that. Keeping it simple.
"He would not be a bad option for Chelsea if he wants to stay and, in fact, I would say he could be the perfect choice. When you consider their possibilities with other managers, maybe he will stay.
"Hiddink is doing a great job and he has had a massive impact in his first few months back at the club. Things sees to be returning to normal now after what happened with [Jose] Mourinho and I am not surprised because Chelsea have some great players in their squad.
"His age may be an issue, but I like the affect he has had on this team. Maybe he will look at this and say he can have at least one more year at Chelsea, but it will be up to the club.
"Let's be honest here. Who can Chelsea hire now? They have sacked so many manager in recent years that they have run out of replacements!
"They have tried Jose Mourinho twice and they have fired so many managers in recent years that there are not so many proven coach's for them to turn to now."
Meanwhile, ex-Barcelona striker Kluivert has hinted that he is eager to move into management in English football, with the coach who assisted Louis van Gaal with the Dutch national team squad that finished third at the 2014 World Cup finals setting his sights at realistic levels.
"I would rather go abroad than to work in Holland and I don't want to be an assistant coach, but the idea of working in England is interesting," added the 39-year-old, who is currently working with the Curacao national team.
"Maybe at a Championship club, I would consider that. To bring them higher, that would be very interesting. I feel like I want to move away from coaching in Holland now and England would be an option for me.
"I appreciate that I may need to start away from the very top level, but I look forward to the right challenge when it presents itself."