Why David Moyes is now closer than ever to quitting Everton for Scotland job
David Moyes' future at Everton is less than certain amid speculation linking him with the newly-vacant Scotland job.
Steve Clarke resigned from his post shortly after Scotland's group-stage exit from the World Cup was confirmed.
Despite winning against Haiti, limiting Morocco to only beating them 1-0 and losing to Brazil, the Tartan Army turned on Clarke, who'd been in charge at Hampden Park for over seven years.
Moyes has now found himself in contention to take charge of his home nation, five years after admitting that he has ambitions to land the job at some point in his career.
The 63-year-old is a year and a half into his second spell at Everton, who he led to a 13th-placed finish last season and faced criticism from sections of the Hill Dickinson crowd for not competing harder for a European spot.
Moyes is firmly in the conversation, but he is far from the only big name under consideration as the Scottish Football Association weighs up its next move
Ange Postecoglou twist strengthens David Moyes' exit chances
The Scotsman reported in their print edition on 4 July that Ange Postecoglou was a candidate to take charge at Hampden.
However, the former Celtic manager is now in charge at Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia, meaning that he's out of contention for the role.
It's still early days for managerless Scotland, and the SFA will want to do as much due diligence as possible before trying to
However, for Everton, they'll need an answer from Moyes quickly, because he's shown interest in the job before, he's an early candidate and the Blues' pre-season is creeping up on them.
Why David Moyes could be tempted to leave Everton now
Not only did Moyes face some unwarranted calls to be sacked last season from small sections of the fanbase, but there's also a strong case for the Scot to seize this opportunity.
Firstly, he's already said he wants to manage Scotland some day.
In 2021, he told BBC Sport: "I'm getting now to a stage in my career where I really enjoy club management and feel I have unfinished business to do yet.
"But I think at the right time, when things are right for me and if it's right for Scotland, then it might be a consideration."
Secondly, if he was to get the job now, he'd be in charge of the Scots for when they host the 2028 European Championships alongside England, Wales and Ireland.
Although Scotland still have to qualify, their recent qualifying record suggests that would be more than achieveable for the exit-linked Everton manager, who is approaching retirement age.