Spain coach Vicente del Bosque says he knows who his ideal successor would be, but would prefer not to name them, publicly.
Del Bosque guided Spain to wins at World Cup 2010 and Euro 2012, but then oversaw La Roja's shock group exit at last summer's World Cup in Brazil. Now 65, the former Real Madrid coach is almost certain to step down after the summer's Euro 2016 finals in France.
There is currently no obvious front-runner to take up the position -- with a list of potential candidates including Rayo Vallecano coach Paco Jemez, Marseille manager Michel, Sevilla's Unai Emery, Athletic Bilbao's Ernesto Valverde and Villarreal's Marcelino Garcia Toral. Having recently accepted the manager's job at Manchester City, Pep Guardiola is now out of the running.
Del Bosque told Punto Pelota he did not expect to be asked to recommend a new coach, although he had a clear idea of who the best person would be.
"Another coach will come in, and that's it," Del Bosque said.
"I do not believe they will ask me to recommend someone. I know clearly who I would like to succeed me, but I am not going to say. I have told nobody. It is something that the Federation must decide."
Any succession plans may be affected by ongoing turmoil at the Spanish Football Federation, where president Angel Maria Villar is being challenged by his former close associate, Jorge Perez, in forthcoming elections. The date for the elections remains uncertain amid a Spanish government investigation into potential financial irregularities at the organisation.