Sol Campbell among candidates for England Under-21 job

Sol Campbell is among the candidates to have applied for the England Under-21 job, with Aidy Boothroyd set to depart in the summer.

Under Boothroyd two successive Young Lions teams bursting with talent have been eliminated at the group stages of the European Championship, with many blaming the manager for his tactical shortcomings.

The deadline for applications to replace the former Watford boss is on Wednesday and according to The Sun, Campbell is one of the names who has thrown his hat into the ring.

His two previous jobs have been with lower-league strugglers Macclesfield Town and Southend United. Both of these spells were marred with off-field financial trouble, although Campbell did receive praise for getting the most out of his meagre resources.

Trevor Sinclair recently confirmed that he has also applied for the role. Sinclair is a UEFA A qualified coach and has spoken out in the past - along with Campbell - about the difficulty of securing roles as a Black coach.

Joe Cole, who has experience coaching in the Chelsea youth academy, is another interested party.

"I've said before I'm not ready for a role like the England U21s manager," he said last month. "But I'm a proud Englishman and playing for my country was the proudest moment of my career, so I would regard any kind of position like that as more of a calling than a job.

"I've got all my badges and I've began on the road and I do feel like that role needs a younger coach who can get the best out of the players."

Other candidates linked with the role include Jody Morris, who is highly rated for his work for Chelsea's youngsters, as well as Nicky Butt and Liam Rosenior. However, the favourite for the position is Justin Cochrane who is currently in charge of England Under-17s.