Shay Given has urged the Newcastle United board to appoint Martin O'Neill as the club's new manager.
The Magpies are searching for a fresh man at the helm following Graeme Souness' sacking in February.
Glenn Roeder is currently in caretaker charge, but plans to step out of the spotlight at the end of the season.
A wealth of names have been linked to the role, but former Celtic chief O'Neill appears to be the preferred choice of the Newcastle players.
O'Neill is currently on a break from football, but Given is hoping The Magpies can persuade the ex-Northern Ireland international to return to management at St James' Park.
"I'd love to see Martin come on board," said Given. "It would be exciting.
"He did a great job at Celtic, he has a fantastic CV and there's support for Martin in the dressing room.
"The consensus is that the players would be very pleased if he took over.
"He's very passionate and knows his stuff, he's very thorough in everything he does."
Magpies keeper Given is unsure what chairman Freddy Shepherd has in mind, but he hopes that O'Neill figures at the top of his wanted list.
He added: "I don't know what's going on behind the scenes or what the chairman's doing.
"But I'm sure he's working hard to try and get someone in of that calibre. If you asked the other players they'd be excited by Martin coming in.
"That's why the chairman's taking his time because it's such an important thing for the whole club and for himself."
The Magpies are searching for a fresh man at the helm following Graeme Souness' sacking in February.
Glenn Roeder is currently in caretaker charge, but plans to step out of the spotlight at the end of the season.
A wealth of names have been linked to the role, but former Celtic chief O'Neill appears to be the preferred choice of the Newcastle players.
O'Neill is currently on a break from football, but Given is hoping The Magpies can persuade the ex-Northern Ireland international to return to management at St James' Park.
"I'd love to see Martin come on board," said Given. "It would be exciting.
"He did a great job at Celtic, he has a fantastic CV and there's support for Martin in the dressing room.
"The consensus is that the players would be very pleased if he took over.
"He's very passionate and knows his stuff, he's very thorough in everything he does."
Magpies keeper Given is unsure what chairman Freddy Shepherd has in mind, but he hopes that O'Neill figures at the top of his wanted list.
He added: "I don't know what's going on behind the scenes or what the chairman's doing.
"But I'm sure he's working hard to try and get someone in of that calibre. If you asked the other players they'd be excited by Martin coming in.
"That's why the chairman's taking his time because it's such an important thing for the whole club and for himself."
