Football Association chairman Greg Clarke has thanked interim England manager Gareth Southgate for his work ahead of deciding whether to offer him the permanent position.
Tuesday's friendly with Spain brings the curtain down on a year that started with a thrilling comeback win in Germany, witnessed a humiliating Euro 2016 exit to Iceland and ends with a third different manager at the helm.
Southgate was parachuted in following the abrupt end to the reign of Roy Hodgson's successor Sam Allardyce and is overwhelming favourite to become England manager on a full-time basis.
The 46-year-old is keen to find out one way or another within a month and the FA's formal search for a permanent manager will start after the Spain friendly.
League Managers Association chairman Howard Wilkinson is to join FA technical director Dan Ashworth, chief executive Martin Glenn and chairman Clarke in the decision-making process, with the latter now focusing on the future after a difficult year.
"While the result is always important, tonight might also be an opportunity for one or two players to stake a claim at international level," Clarke wrote in the Spain matchday programme.
"Certainly, no one knows the nation's young talent better than Gareth Southgate after a year to remember at development team level.
"We began our senior action for the year with a game in Germany last March and that thrilling 3-2 victory against the reigning world champions was cause for plenty of justified optimism.
"We will continue to seek to measure ourselves against the leading nations, as we also did here a year ago this month when we came out 2-0 winners over France on an emotional night.
"Of course, those results fuelled optimism for Euro 2016 and we will always look back on the past 12 months with a sense of what might have been.
"I was there in France as a fan and, like everyone, was disappointed with how the tournament went, given our qualification record and the talent we undoubtedly possess.
"It is definitely a case of looking forward now and we will sit down after this fixture to consider our options with regard to the England manager position, and with full gratitude to Gareth and his staff for their work."
England return to action in March with another glamour friendly in Germany , before a home World Cup qualifier against Lithuania.
Source: PA
