Nahki Wells has backed fellow countryman Shaun Goater to be Bermuda’s next head coach.

The Luton Town striker is adamant the former Manchester City star would be perfect to lead the national team, with the island as a whole benefiting from his knowledge should he be given the nod to fulfil an ambition of coaching his country.

“I think Shaun would be a really good option for Bermuda and a really good person to have as our new head coach for the country,” Wells told The Royal Gazette.

“Goater has never managed the country and being our most successful footballer is a great achievement in itself and carries a huge weight. There’s no doubt about that and knowing he’s never had that chance, when better than now for someone like him?

“Shaun has been in football pretty much ever since he retired. I know he’s been coaching Aston Villa’s women’s team so he has some experience to coach and he understands the game.”

Goater, who netted 103 goals in 211 appearances for City between 1998 and 2003, boasts previous coaching experience after serving on the academy coaching staff at Manchester City as part as part of an initiative geared towards increasing the number of Black, Asian and ethnic minority coaches working full time in professional football after successfully applying through the Premier League’s Coach Inclusion and Diversity Scheme.

The Uefa A licence holder served on City’s academy coaching staff in a varied role for three years, working across all the academy age groups from the foundation phase up to the professional development phase. He also served as an assistant to City Women's boss Gareth Taylor.

He was also interim head coach and assistant coach of Women’s Super League outfit Aston Villa and head coach of childhood club Village, whom he guided to league and cup honours during a highly successful tenure at the helm.

Wells feels that having someone of Goater’s stature at the helm would cast the world’s spotlight on the national team.

“I think of the publicity the nation would get, the eyes on the national team and the younger players that are coming through,” he said.

“There’s so many positives that can come off the back of Shaun being our head coach, and I would love to see him leading us out for whatever duration that may look like.

“I have a really good relationship with Shaun and he knows that I am there to help him or whoever that may be in any capacity, whether that’s playing or supporting from off the pitch.

“I definitely have intention of still playing and I think I’ve made that clear. So until that option closes from the national team’s perspective, which I know isn’t the case yet, I will leave the door open until I feel the time is right.”

The hunt for a new national coach began last month when Bermuda Football Association announced that Canadian Michael Findlay had parted ways with them by mutual consent.

BFA technical development director Maurice Lowe, who will be part of the process for recruiting Bermuda’s next coach along with the association’s player development committee, revealed last week that the association had received “lots of applications and CVs from far and wide” despite having not advertised the job.

The former Dandy Town defender served as interim national head coach for Bermuda’s international friendly against Democratic Republic of Congo in Mexico last week, which ended in a 2-0 defeat behind closed doors at Estadio Jalisco in Guadalajara.