Fabio Capello has gained approval from the FA to bring in his own backroom team as England manager.

The Mirror says the next Three Lions chief stood his ground to have assistant Italo Galbiati, long-term confidante Franco Baldini, goalkeeping coach Franco Tancredi and fitness guru Massimo Neri alongside him when he takes over next month.

After drawn-out negotiations, Capello got outline approval to have the men he wanted in his coaching staff - although there is still room for Alan Shearer and Stuart Pearce to provide an English influence.

The FA confirmed: "The board has approved his appointment as manager subject to further contract negotiations.

"These will continue. But there are no problems and we're going through the process for a successful conclusion."

Last night it was clear that there was still some concerns at the FA over the potential £1.5m-a-year cost of Capello's chosen support staff, in addition to the 61-year-old's own £4m annual salary.

One FA source said: "All four of them will have jobs once the contracts are signed but we also have to make sure we get the best deal for us as well.

"We don't want to be accused of paying too much to get them on board. But we do not expect any problems in sorting this out."