Terry Venables is not against the influx of foreign players

The 64-year-old, sacked as assistant to Steve McClaren on Thursday, rejected talk that foreign stars in the Premier League are harming the national team.

"I maintain the future for English football has to be positive, without a doubt it is," said Venables.

"Of course, there are setbacks - but what the foreign influx has done is to help British players to improve."

As a former England manager, Venables understands the difficulties facing the next boss and would not be surprised to see the Football Association look overseas.

"I do not like it and never thought I would be saying it," said the former Barcelona and Tottenham manager.

606: DEBATE It has nothing to do with the number of foreigners - if our kids were good enough technically clubs wouldn't have to look abroad manwoodvice

"However, the pressures for an Englishman are much greater than a foreigner.

"There are so many things involved with the esoteric side of being in your own country, and when you finish, you do not hear the end of it for a long time.

"For a lot of the England managers it has taken them a long time to get over it. It is not a stigma, but at times it can feel like that.

"The actual time you are working, with all the aggravation, does not touch you that much - but it is what it does to your family, the kids at school."

Venables is disappointed that McClaren's tenure - the shortest of any permanent England boss - is likely to be remembered only for what went wrong.

As wonderful as this game can be, on the other hand it can also be cruel Terry Venables

"Football life has always been full of ups and downs, some great and some not so," he said.

"In this job it gets magnified and exaggerated. There can be highs and lows, and really not too much in the middle.

"You learn to get on with it and to get tougher, otherwise it will knock you over. As wonderful as this game can be, on the other hand it can also be cruel."

Venables is the bookmakers' favourite to become the new Republic of Ireland manager but his next job is at the City of Manchester Stadium next Sunday.

He is managing a team of England legends against a Rest of the World side coached by Sven-Goran Eriksson.

"Alan Shearer is going to be the captain for the England XI alongside myself as coach," he said of the charity match.