Shui Qingxia, who led the United Team – made of Chinese national team players – to win the women's football gold medal at the Chinese National Games, will not compete for the position of the national team manager, according to a media report.

The contract of current manager Jia Xiuquan ended on September 30. Under his watch, China scored zero wins during the Tokyo Olympics but Jia did not entertain resignation despite the team's defeat.

The Chinese Football Association (CFA) on Friday released the list of qualifications for the ideal candidate. It indicated that applicants should register before October 12 and interviews will take place on the 15th and 16th of the month. Each interview will be made of two parts: a presentation and Q&A session.

Shui is eligible to compete for the post and has previously expressed her interest in the job.

"It will be an honor to coach the national team. Every manager wants to do something for their country. It's a duty that, if possible, I want to shoulder," she said after the National Games.

"She couldn't know the women's national team any better," Soccer News, which reported the news, quoted an unnamed manager as saying. "Generally speaking, if you are looking for a manager in the women's football circle, Shui is the best choice for the job."

However, Shui told Soccer News that she won't apply for the post. She is currently in Shanghai preparing for the new Chinese Women's Super League season with Shanghai Shengli.

Soccer News revealed that former men's national team midfielder Zhao Junzhe is a potential candidate. He is the team director of Guangzhou City and has worked as the CFA' training director.

Zhao was a member of the Chinese national squad that made the FIFA World Cup in 2002 and was the captain of the national team for a long time. At the club level, he spent his career as a player in Liaoning and used to work as the team's vice chief of youth development as well as the head coach.

Coaching the women's national team will be a great challenge to anyone as the team must compete for a World Cup spot in next year's Women's Asian Cup in India and chase gold in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang Province.