Wales boss Chris Coleman says his former teammate Gareth Southgate will soon discover whether he wants to become the England manager on a permanent basis.
Southgate will take charge of England's next four games while the Football Association seeks a successor to Sam Allardyce, who departed on Tuesday after just one match and 67 days at the helm.
The former Middlesbrough boss had ruled himself out of replacing Roy Hodgson in the summer but, after Allardyce's shock departure following damaging remarks that he made to undercover newspaper reporters, he has promised to seize his unexpected opportunity.
"A lot of people ask me who, out of those I played with, would become a manager," Coleman said of his former centre-back partner at Crystal Palace.
"Out of all of us, he [Southgate] was the one I thought would become a manager. He is very sensible, intelligent and very serious about football.
"That doesn't mean it will work out, I couldn't call it. I know what he is like as a guy, he is a real good guy and very passionate.
"He said before Sam got it that he didn't want it.
"But I said that when I was given the Fulham job for five games -- 'I don't want it permanently.' But once I had a taste of it, I did.
"That will be the acid test for Gareth. He is either going to love it, or say 'no, not for me.'
"Will he be successful? He will be judged on these results whether he will get it."
Southgate will become the fifth England manager, be it full-time or as a caretaker, since Coleman was appointed Wales boss in January 2012.
In that time Fabio Capello, Stuart Pearce, Hodgson, Allardyce and now Southgate have been in charge of England.
Asked if he could offer his old teammate any advice, Coleman, who guided Wales to the semifinals of Euro 2016, said: "Just do exactly what he wants to do.
"He is going to get it for four games. However he sees it, do it, rather than carrying it for anybody else. Then you stand or you fall on that.
"And he is his own man -- a quiet boy, but very strong mentally.
"He was a good captain at Palace, and I think he is the type to do what he wants to."
Coleman named a 23-man squad on Thursday for next week's World Cup qualifiers against Austria and Georgia without the influential Aaron Ramsey.
The Arsenal midfielder has failed to recover from a hamstring injury suffered on the opening day of the season, and Coleman said there was no guarantee Ramsey would be fit for the November qualifier against Serbia.
"I had an indication that he would only be out for three weeks when he initially did it," said Coleman.
"That was six weeks ago. So I don't know now.
"I have had more information from Sean [Connelly], our head physio who is liaising with Arsenal, that he has broken down in training.
"We have not yet been given a date on when he will definitely be back. I can't be sure, because I was sure in the last camp I would have him for this camp.
"I am disappointed we are without him again. Could that have been prevented in the way he was looked after when he got back from the [Euro 2016] tournament?
"I don't know. But you can't help but think, if only.
"For us to be without him for 30 percent of the campaign [three of 10 games so far], it's tough."