Video: Harry Redknapp reveals how close he came to leaving Spurs for England

Former Tottenham Hotspur boss Harry Redknapp has opened up on how close he came to becoming the manager of the England national team.

Following Fabio Capello’s departure as the Three Lions boss in 2012, Redknapp was backed to succeed the Italian with the likes of former striker Alan Shearer calling for the at-the-time Spurs manager to take charge of his country (BBC).

Redknapp admitted that he would have found the job difficult to have turned down and would have accepted the role despite having built a successful squad in North London.

In an interview with Sky Sports’ Dharmesh Sheth, he revealed that insiders from the Football Association had told him that the job was his, only for Roy Hodgson to be appointed as Capello’s successor.

He claimed that there was no direct contact from the FA over the position, despite being installed as the bookie’s favourite.

Just a matter of months later, Redknapp was sacked by Spurs chairman Daniel Levy (BBC).

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