Terry Butcher, the former England captain, has been offered the chance to assist George Burley in his quest to lead Scotland to the World Cup finals in South Africa.
The Herald understands that Butcher will be a key part of Burley's part-time backroom staff and the former Motherwell, Sydney FC and Brentford manager will meet the Scottish Football Association next week to discuss the role.
One of the Englishman's first responsibilities could be to lead out Scotland at Wembley in June, after Burley expressed his enthusiasm for reviving the international against the Auld Enemy in the summer.
Scot John Gorman assisted England manager Glenn Hoddle in the 1990s but Butcher's popularity in Scotland since joining Rangers in 1986 would make his transition less of an obstacle.
Burley said his assistants would not necessarily be Scottish and made a coded reference to Butcher. "Hopefully, we can get that finalised at the beginning of next week," he said. "I am certainly looking for motivated people whom I know well. I have one or two in mind."
Butcher's managerial track record has been dented by his recent ventures in Australia and London but his greatest success came alongside Maurice Malpas at Motherwell.
His profile north of the border will help Burley, who has been accused of lacking charisma, and Butcher will be earmarked for a role similar to Ally McCoist's under Walter Smith.
Butcher won 77 caps in an international career spanning 10 years. The most iconic image of the centre-half was when he captained England in a World Cup qualifier against Sweden in 1989, his white shirt saturated with blood that poured from a head wound.
The 49-year-old was born in Singapore but raised in Lowestoft. He has carved a successful career as a columnist, most recently with The Herald, and has been a popular pundit on Radio Five Live, where he has been critical of England's failures under Steve McClaren and Sven-Goran Eriksson.
Burley will hold a get-together with his players next month before taking charge of his first game, on March 26, a friendly at home to Croatia. He is in favour of restoring the England fixture to the calendar.
"We will look at the situation seriously but it is up to the authorities," said Burley. "It's great for the fans and I remember the players looking forward to going to Wembley and Hampden every couple of years. It would have to be carefully thought out but, with Celtic, Rangers and Aberdeen involved in Europe, it all helps."
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