Ian Maxwell has claimed that nothing is off the table as the SFA begin the process of identifying Steve Clarke’s successor.Fresh from signing a four-year contract, the 62-year-old informed the governing body’s hierarchy that he was stepping down on Saturday – three days after losing to Brazil and shortly before Scotland’s World Cup exit was confirmed.It’s understood Clarke waived any claim to compensation from the deal that he only agreed to last month.Ange Postecoglou, David Moyes and Alex Neil are among the names to have been linked with the post already.Speaking before the team’s charter left Charlotte for Glasgow, chief executive Maxwell said the SFA was open-minded about the identity of the individual best suited to next take the job.‘Football’s a very, very small world,” he said. Steve Clarke leaves the team hotel in Charlotte after Scotland’s World Cup exit is confirmed SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell says they will be open-minded in their search for a new boss David Moyes is among a number of managers who have been linked with the vacant post ‘I’ve woken up this morning to a few messages from people that are interested in the job.‘Nothing’s off the table. We need to cast the net as far and wide as we can. It’s about getting the right coach, it’s not about necessarily where they come from. There’s a lot of good managers out there and it’s up to us to make sure that we pick the right one.‘The succession planning starts now.’The Scots’ next games will be against North Macedonia, Slovenia and Switzerland in the autumn’s Nations League fixtures.‘We’re a really attractive job, for the right head coach, for the right manager,’ Maxwell said.‘We’ve got a Euros that we’re (co-hosting) in 2028 to look forward to. There’s been a lot of success over the last few years and we need to make sure that we appoint someone that can improve on that and continue to drive us forward.’Maxwell stressed that there was a desire to make an appointment ‘as soon as we can’ but added it must be ‘the right person’.‘It’s really, really difficult to put dates on it,’ he explained. ‘We’ve obviously got games coming up in September.’Former Kilmarnock boss Clarke took over as Scotland boss in 2019 and oversaw the men’s team’s first qualification for a tournament in 23 years when they made the delayed Euro 2020.Though the team fell short in the play-offs for the 2022 World Cup, they reached Euro 2024 and last year sealed a return to the biggest stage for the first time since 1998.Across the three tournaments, Scotland only secured one win – against Haiti two weeks ago.Maxwell said the ‘overriding reaction at the moment is one of sadness’ with news of Clarke’s departure still ‘very raw’.‘We’re sad that the World Cup journey’s over,’ he said. ‘We’re sad that we weren’t able to achieve what we wanted to do and obviously we’re sad that our most successful head coach has decided to step down.‘We speak a lot. We spoke after the Brazil game. Everybody was obviously very down. That was the lowest anybody’s felt from a Scotland perspective for a long, long time. I spoke to him yesterday and he’d made his mind up that he wanted to step down.‘That’s ultimately his decision. I can understand why. Obviously, we’ve not performed as well as we wanted to. There’s been some fairly hysterical commentary back home, which hasn’t helped but ultimately, it’s up to Steve.‘We need to be proud of the journey that got us here. We need to be incredibly proud of our supporters. They’ve travelled in tens of thousands. They have lit up America.’The fact Clarke is no longer manager just a month after he, Maxwell and president Mike Mulraney insisted he’d be in charge until 2030 has come as a major shock.‘We wanted to come into the competition in as stable a footing as possible,’ said Maxwell.‘Extending his contract did that. It eliminated any talk about what was going to happen afterwards.‘Obviously, we find ourselves in a position that nobody wanted to be in. We wanted to perform well, we wanted to do what no Scotland team’s ever done before in a group stage. We weren’t able to achieve that.’Clarke leaves as the first man in the history of the national team to manage at three tournaments. He took charge of 81 games and recorded 38 wins.‘He’s been incredible,’ said Maxwell. ‘If we had sat seven years ago when we appointed him and said, “this is what the next seven years are going to look like”, everybody would’ve bitten your hand off for it.’In a letter which accompanied confirmation of his departure, Clarke spoke of his pride at getting the public engaged with the side again after such a long period in the doldrums.‘While emotions are raw following our elimination, I genuinely believe that if we continue to qualify regularly for these tournaments, we will inevitably break the glass ceiling of reaching the knockout phase,’ he said.‘Winning our group from a position as third seeds is a truly remarkable achievement from a remarkable bunch of players that I have been lucky enough to lead.‘The campaign was difficult against quality opposition but time and time again we found a way to get the required points culminating in the most incredible Scotland game ever seen at Hampden Park in a 4-2 win versus Denmark.‘In time I will be able to reflect on a tumultuous seven years but one element that has given me the greatest satisfaction is witnessing the reconnection of our national team and our fans.’The players were informed of the decision by Clarke in a meeting at the team hotel at 7.15pm.Skipper Andy Robertson last night expressed his appreciation for what Clarke had done for the team.Posting on Instagram, Robertson wrote: ‘Gaffer, it’s a simple thank you.‘What you have done for our country will be remembered for years and years to come.‘In time, the sharpness of the disappointment we all feel right now will fade but not only will your legacy remain, hopefully it will become even more impactful.’