Fabio Cannavaro has expressed his desire to return to coaching as speculation increases that he may be in line to replace Antonio Conte as coach of Italy after Euro 2016.
Cannavaro, 42, is currently out of work after being relieved of his duties by Guangzhou Evergrande in June. There, he had taken the position of Marcello Lippi -- the man who last guided Italy to a trophy with the 2006 World Cup, when Cannavaro was his captain.
The pair have been touted as a new dream team for Italy should Conte step down after next summer's European Championship in France, and Cannavaro admits he does not want to remain out of the game for much longer.
"The important thing for me now is returning to coaching," he said while in Rome watching Italy beat Norway on Tuesday, reports ANSA.
Conte has not ruled out extending his contract as Azzurri boss beyond Euro 2016, but the signs are he is missing the daily training of club football as he has complained about the lack of time he gets to spend coaching his players.
"The national team would lose a lot [without Conte] because Antonio is a great coach," Cannavaro added. "We all hope that they will [do well at Euro 2016]. We're all fans of Italy."
Alongside Lippi and Cannavaro, current Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri, Fabio Capello and Carlo Ancelotti have all been linked with the national team job should it become vacant next July.