Saracens stalwart Charlie Hodgson says Eddie Jones would be making a shrewd move by appointing Paul Gustard as defence coach in a new-look England set-up.
Sarries director of rugby Mark McCall confirmed on Sunday that the Rugby Football Union (RFU) had made an approach for the highly regarded Gustard.
Fly-half Hodgson, the leading points scorer in Premiership history, knows all about Gustard's qualities and said he would be sorely missed if he opts to leave the English champions.
The former England international told Omnisport: "He brings energy, enthusiasm and positivity.
"He's a great coach, a great guy to be around and is very positive. He has a great influence with getting over what he wants from the players.
"Asking them to do things in the game and he gets the best out of people. That's ultimately what you want. He has transformed the Saracens defence over six and a half years.
"Sarries have been strong defensively and he's been central to that, so if he does go, of course it will be a big loss for us but a big gain for England for sure."
Head coach Jones was appointed as Stuart Lancaster's successor last month and Hodgosn has backed the Australian to be a success.
Hodgson added: "He has an unbelievable track record. He's a very, very experienced coach at international level, which is great, and I'm sure he'll get the best out of his players.
"He'll demand a lot, but I'm sure he'll get the best out of them. He works ridiculously hard. He's had some very good results with Japan and he has got Steve Borthwick working with him, who also got the best out of Japan.
"There's no reason why he can't do the same with England. There's an amazing amount of players that are putting their hands up to be selected, so it's a nice position for him to be in."