The Malta FA are seriously considering the idea of having a three-man technical team at the helm of the Maltese national side.

Insiders have told The Times that the technical team proposal has the backing of the MFA's top officials.

Horst Heese, the MFA technical director, and Mark Miller, the Malta U-21 coach, took charge of the national team's training for an interim period after the termination of Siegfried Held's contract last month.

Under the new team proposal, Heese, who was coach of Malta between 1988 and 1991, will spearhead the technical panel alongside Carmel Busuttil. Miller is expected to be confirmed as the third member of this coaching trio.

Former Malta skipper Busuttil, 39, had emerged as one of the favourites for the national coaching job after a meeting with MFA president Dr Joe Mifsud.

Although Mifsud dismissed as speculation reports linking the former Genk stalwart with the national coaching vacancy, sources said that the MFA president is keen on giving Busuttil a key role within the new coaching team.

Last week, Mifsud met with Busuttil and Edward Schembri, the president of Premier League club Pietà Hotspurs with whom Busuttil is employed as head coach of the Buzu Soccer School.

Contacted by The Times, Busuttil declined to comment on the matter.

Busuttil, widely regarded as one of the best football talents to emerge from the Maltese islands, retired from football in 2001 to take up coaching.

For the past two-and-a-half years, Busuttil has been imparting his knowledge and expertise to young players at the Buzu Soccer School, in the process forging an excellent partnership with Ray 'Zazu' Farrugia, the head coach of Pietà Hotspurs, who is also actively involved in the Buzu School.