LONDON: Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp, while concentrating his attention on Sunday’s north London derby at Arsenal, has insisted he has not been approached to succeed Fabio Capello as England boss.

Redknapp was immediate favourite for the job after  Capello quit over not being consulted by the Football Association over the  decision a fortnight ago to strip John Terry of the captaincy.

Stuart Pearce, the England under-21s manager, will be caretaker senior boss for next week’s Wembley friendly against Holland.

Redknapp, asked whether he had approached, said: “No, I haven’t,” and went on praise Pearce.

“I am sure he will do well,” said Redknapp. “I signed him as a player for West Ham and he was fantastic. I tried to sign him two years before but the chairman at West Ham at the time said ‘he’s too old Harry, he’s finished’.

“Then he went to Newcastle, didn’t do so great, but I took him to West Ham two years later and he was absolutely fantastic. He was top class.”

Pearce is yet to name his captain for the friendly against Holland, which was rescheduled following last year’s London riots. Tottenham’s Scott Parker is among the leading contenders and Redknapp said: “There are a lot of good candidates there but Scott has captained the team here a couple of times here this year and he is a fantastic boy, a great professional. You couldn’t get a better boy. He is a top-class person and a top-class player.”