If the Mets want Craig Counsell to be their next manager, they are not alone.

Brewers general manager Matt Arnold made it clear Tuesday that he hopes Counsell returns for a 10th season as his club’s manager rather than departing for one of the expected suitors, including David Stearns’ Mets.

Arnold, speaking Tuesday in a season-ending news conference, said the Brewers do not have a timetable for Counsell to make a decision.

Arnold said the club is talking with Counsell, though in publicly wishing for the manager to return, the GM acknowledged the possibility he would not.

“We’re in regular conversation with him,” Arnold told reporters in Milwaukee. “I’m excited about having those conversations with him and looking forward to hopefully having some news for you [media] as soon as possible. But either way, we’re going to be prepared to have a manager next year if it’s not Craig.

“But I want to keep every line open for communication here with Craig as much as we can because he’s our top choice.”

Counsell has established himself as one of the top managers in baseball.

He guided the Brewers to the playoffs in five of the past six years, though this season they were knocked out by the Diamondbacks in the wild-card round.

For much of Counsell’s tenure in Milwaukee, his front-office boss was Stearns, whom the Mets landed as their president of baseball operations and who fired manager Buck Showalter in hope of a “fresh start.”

There has been a widespread belief that Stearns may try to pry Counsell away from the Brewers.

It is unclear whether the Mets have requested permission to talk with Counsell, who sources said is under contract with the Brewers until the end of the month.

“I want to respect Craig — I want to respect the time that he’s put into this franchise and the opportunity that he has in front of him,” Arnold said. “We have a really good relationship, and so I think it’s first and foremost what’s best for him and his family for sure.

“But I’m excited to obviously partner with him. I’ve loved working with him for many years, and I hope he’s here a long time.”

Counsell grew up in Wisconsin and played six of his 16 major league seasons with the Brewers.

His sons play Big Ten baseball at Michigan and Minnesota, and his daughters go to school in nearby Whitefish Bay, Wis.

Even his father worked for the Brewers as the director of community relations under Bud Selig.

“He’s maybe one of the best people I’ve ever worked with,” said Arnold, who has worked with Counsell since the 2016 season. “I really, really enjoy working with him. He challenges us in great ways. We see the world differently. I think it’s healthy. I think he means a lot to this community. He’s done a lot. He’s been a player here. His dad worked here. He’s grown up here.

“He’s special. He’s definitely special to this team.”

If the Brewers can offer the comforts of home, the Mets can offer a new challenge with likely larger expectations and a larger paycheck.

Counsell made $3.5 million this season, The Post’s Jon Heyman has reported, and Steve Cohen could turn Counsell into one of the game’s best-paid managers for a big-market team whose payrolls will dwarf those of the Brewers.

Stearns has said he will cast “a wide net” to find the Mets’ next manager, which would allow him plenty of time to interview others if he needs to wait a few weeks for Counsell’s contract to expire.

Other teams could loom for Counsell’s services, too. The Giants, Guardians and Angels are conducting managerial searches.