Former West Ham manager Sam Allardyce maintains hope he may still get the England job one day, but knows he must find a club first.

The 60-year-old, without a club since his departure from the London outfit in May, was heavily linked with the national team job in 2006 before Steve McClaren was hired.

Allardyce said his time had probably passed for the England job, but he will never give up on the opportunity.

"That chance has probably gone for me now, but you can never be sure in football," he told The Sunday People.

"I suppose there’s always a chance, but it depends on where you are when there’s a change of manager.

"It was my success at Bolton that put me in that position, sitting in the top six of the Premier League, and that’s where you have to be to get that kind of call.

"If I'm still out of the game and doing media work like I am now, I’ll never get that call.

"When Roy Hodgson decides to go, the FA have to be seen to be picking someone who is doing an exceptionally good job, but I do hope it is a British coach."

Allardyce pointed to Alan Pardew as an example of fortunes changing quickly, with the Crystal Palace manager one of those talked about for the England post.

He also said Swansea City manager Garry Monk, who is 36 and in just his second full season in charge, needed time.

"I was talking to Alan Pardew recently. He was the biggest villain in the game at Newcastle a few months ago, now he’s doing well at Crystal Palace and being talked about as an England manager," Allardyce said.

"Garry Monk at Swansea is another being talked about, but he’s only young. He should be left to get on with the good job he’s doing."