Former England striker Brian Deane believes that Crystal Palace’s next appointment is crucial and thinks that Nuno Espirito Santo could be the right man for the job.

Having guided the Eagles to Premier League safety for the fourth campaign on the bounce, Roy Hodgson stepped down from his role at Selhurst Park last month.

The new season doesn’t get underway for more than two months, but with 16 players out of contract this summer, the Palace hierarchy are pushing hard to name an appointment for Hodgson.

Eddie Howe, whose move to Celtic recently collapsed, is the favourite, whilst Steve Cooper, Sean Dyche and Frank Lampard are all in the running to become the new Palace manager.

But following his shock departure from Wolves last month Santo is now being considered for the role in what would be an immediate return to management, less than two weeks after he resigned at Molineux following a four-year spell, with The Sun reporting he has the edge over other candidates such as Cooper and Valerian Ismael.

And whilst Deane told Football FanCast that Palace must pick carefully, he thinks they need someone with Premier League experience – another box Santo ticks:

"If they don’t get the next managerial appointment right, they’ve got problems. I don’t think it’s a time where they can take chances.

"They need someone who has pedigree and understands the league and has a good record of recruiting players. I think he could be the right fit for them, but I don’t know what they’re looking for."