Fulham boss Mark Hughes has backed former Manchester United teammate Ryan Giggs for the Wales job.
Giggs is among the favourites to succeed John Toshack, who stood down on Thursday following a poor start to qualifying for Euro 2012.
"I was still playing in the Premier League when I got the Wales job," said the Fulham boss. "I initially thought I could play and manage but quickly found out that was impossible."
He added: "The way I coped with it was by separating both roles. At the club I was very much a player but had a different attitude when I was with the international squad.
"Maybe if Ryan got the job he'd do it in a different way and it will be interesting to see if he's interested in it.
"He has to decide if it's right for him but I'd recommend it to him. If he rang I'd say take it.
"If he does go for it, he needs to surround himself with good staff who will protect and help him.
"For me it was the best thing I ever did - it enabled me to become the manager I am now because it's a huge learning curve.
"It exposes you initially and you can think 'what the hell happened there?', but then you have the window to sit back and review how to do things better.
"As a learning experience for a young manager it's fantastic. Everyone says international football is for older managers, but I think it's fantastic opportunity for a young manager."
