April 29, 2008 8:03 PM

SOURCE:
goal.com

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Big Phil In Frame If Sven Walks?

With speculation intense that Sven-Goran Eriksson is about to part company with Manchester City, Portugal manager Luiz Felipe Scolari is reportedly being sounded out by Thaksin Shinawatra as a possible successor to the Swede.

It is being reported that World Cup winning boss Luiz Felipe Scolari, currently managing the Portugal national team, is being approached about possibly taking over at Manchester City if Sven-Goran Eriksson is leaves the club.

Media reports claim that Brazilian Big Phil, who guided his native country to World Cup glory in 2002, would be City owner Thaksin Shinawatra's first choice to replace Eriksson.

Ex-England manager Eriksson is suddenly under severe pressure because City have struggled to maintain the early-season form in the second half of the campaign - Eriksson's first at Eastlands.

Scolari will become a free agent in the summer after five years in charge of Portugal.

First, though, Big Phil, 59, will take Portgual into this summer's European Championship finals (Euro 2008) in Austria and Switzerland.

Scolari, previously coach at Gremio and Palmeiras, has often crossed Eriksson's path.

He was in charge of Brazil when they met and beat Eriksson's England in the 2002 World Cup quarter-finals. And Sven's side suffered a similar fate in the last eight of Euro 2004 and Germany 2006 when Scolari was managing Portugal.

Big Phil was also favourite to succeed Eriksson when the Swede was standing down as England bos, but the FA botched their approach for the Brazilian, and instead had to settle for Steve McClaren.