The ink has barely dried on Steve Clarke's farewell letter to the Tartan Army and already attention has turned to who will succeed Scotland's most successful head coach.

In reality, fans, journalists and pundits had already been discussing the matter in the days since the defeat by Brazil at the World Cup and a third anti-climactic showing at a major tournament.

But now those at charge at the Scottish FA - who only a month ago handed Clarke a new four-year deal - are searching for a successor before the Nations League campaign, which starts in Slovenia on 26 September.

At the time of Clarke's appointment in May 2019, Scotland were looking for someone who could do one principal thing - get the country back to a major men's tournament for the first time since 1998.

That has been achieved, multiple times. So the remit for his successor will be to build on that success in qualifying for three finals by reaching the knockout phase.

Clearly that is easier said than done. Clarke has done a magnificent job in galvanising the squad and the country, developing a much-lauded club-like spirit, which has certainly played a role in qualification success.

That is something that must be fostered while evolving the make-up of a squad that was one of the oldest at the World Cup.

But something else is required. Clarke was a pragmatist at heart and, although he set the team up in a more attacking formation in the win over Haiti, in particular, it never truly felt like the shackles were off.

Should the next manager be someone with a more attacking ethos? You feel that would be welcomed by fans, many of whom have despaired at exiting consecutive Euros and now a World Cup without really laying a glove on the opposition.

"This has been a special, special group. And he's got the best out of them," said former Scotland winger Pat Nevin, a close friend of Clarke.

"But a lot of them are not going to last. I know these days 40 seems young for a World Cup player. In reality, that's not the way it is, though.

"It's not obvious who the next group of players are. So whoever comes in, it's actually a bit of a monster job to do."

Scotland's previous experiment with a foreign manager did not end well. Berti Vogts succeeded Craig Brown in 2002, but it failed to herald a positive outcome.

The German oversaw 32 games, winning just nine with a win percentage of 28%.

Since then, every manager has been a Scot, but could it be time for a change? After all, of the 48 teams at the World Cup, 27 are managed by a non-native.

Money should not be a significant problem in attracting candidates, given the windfall from multiple qualifications.

The incoming head coach will also be aware that Euro 2028 is very reachable, given two places at the finals are reserved should any of the host nations England, Scotland, Wales and Republic of Ireland fail to qualify.

And while a clutch of the current squad are into their 30s, most of the key players may still have another campaign in them, making the job all the more attractive.

"There's not [an obvious candidate] and I know that a lot of people will be looking to say it has to be a Scot," said former national team talisman James McFadden. "But I don't think there's a lot of options there to go down that route.

"I think it just has to be the best manager that can somehow either continue the progression or raise it. I don't know how high the ceiling is, but I think whatever happens next it's a huge call.

"It's about trying to bring the best man in that can continue the trajectory that the country's been on. We need to try and continue the momentum."

Many people have long talked about Derek McInnes as a future Scotland boss, and while that might still be the case, it's not going to happen right now given he's just taken over at Rangers.

David Moyes is another who would have plenty of support but, realistically, he is not going to leave Everton for Scotland at this stage.

Scot Gemmill: The former Scotland midfielder has been Under-21 head coach for over a decade and, as such, is well known to the Scottish FA. He would be well-placed to help transition youngsters into the squad but he hasn't exactly over-achieved with the Under-21s and has no other managerial experience.

Steven Naismith: Another known quantity as part of Clarke's coaching set-up. Like Gemmill, he could be an interim option, but seems unlikely the former Hearts head coach would get the job permanently given his relative lack of experience.

John McGlynn: The Falkirk manager has been linked with Hearts and Aberdeen in recent times after a magnificent season back in the top flight following successive promotions, playing attractive, attacking football. Now 64, he would surely would find the national team job too big to turn down.

Darren Fletcher: The former national team captain is currently the Under-18s coach at Manchester United and had an interim spell with the top team. Lacks experience but his name would carry weight with players - not least son Tyler - and the fans.

Ange Postecoglou: The former Celtic manager's name has cropped up, but whether that is anything more than gossip is another matter. The Australian's style of football quickly won over the Celtic fans and, while mixed fortunes at Tottenham and Nottingham Forest have diminished his reputation, might he consider Scotland?