THE Football Association of Wales will not be held to ransom by the Wales players in who they appoint to succeed Mark Hughes, it was revealed yesterday.

FAW International Affairs officer Mark Evans, confirmed that the matter would be looked at by the FAW selection committee and that player power would not be a factor.

After the Poland defeat on Wednesday night the Welsh players, led by Robbie Savage, gave unanimous backing to a partnership of Brian Flynn and Gary Speed, who announced his international retirement this week.

But Evans confirmed that the issue is an FAW one and is not for the players to decide and also dispelled rumours that the FAW met yesterday to shortlist potential successors.

He said: "The selection process will be done through the committee and they will decide on who is the right person for the job. No meeting took place yesterday and no meeting is planned until the end of the month.

"We are in no rush at all and in fact the opposite is true. We deliberately did not arrange a game in November because we want to take our time in making our decision. After the meeting we will arrange interviews and everything should be settled before the new year."

Former Swansea City and Wrexham manager Flynn, capped 66 times by Wales, has already stated his desire to link with Speed and he clarified his position last night.

He said: "It is nice to have the support of the players and an honour. But my position has not changed at all. I was asked if I was interested in taking the job and I stated that I certainly was.

"But that is as far as things have gone and it would be wrong of me to speculate further on the matter."

He continued: "Gary Speed is a fantastic player, a great captain and a model professional and I would love to help him into management. I would like to think that given the chance we could carry forward the work Mark has done."

Speed's club manager Sam Allardyce has backed Flynn, but he has warned the FAW against an approach for Speed.

He said: "We paid £750,000 for Gary and if he was going to leave and take a manager's job, they'd have to pay us £750,000 compensation.

"Any other development on a part-time basis would have to be considered by me and Gary together."

"If he was coaching Wales and still playing, he would be taking on far too much, and I don't know whether I would give him permission. He has a commitment to his country, but he also has a commitment to the contract he has with us."