Gareth Southgate drops biggest hint yet over next job amid Man Utd links after stepping down as England manager
GARETH SOUTHGATE has no plans to jump straight back into the dugout following his England exit.
The 54-year-old resigned from his role as Three Lions boss in July following the nation’s second straight Euros final defeat, a 2-1 loss to Spain.
Southgate’s success at the England helm has put him on the radar of several clubs.
And the former England international is understood to be on Manchester United‘s shortlist of candidates to replace Erik ten Hag.
But he’s revealed his next job might not even be football-related.
He told Sky Sports: “I’ve got lots of opportunities, I’m very open-minded to what’s next.
“That might be in football, that might be outside of football.
“I’m just going to take some time, refresh, recharge and go from there.
“I think at the moment people know that I need to get my energy back.”
The FA have yet to appoint a permanent successor for Southgate, who spent eight years in charge of the Three Lions.
Lee Carsley will remain in interim charge of the side while FA chiefs continue their search for a new gaffer.
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Southgate's England legacy should be celebrated, not torn down
By Tom Barclay
Gareth Southgate claimed that only winning Sunday’s final would earn England the respect of the footballing world.
Spain proved a last-gasp comeback too far in Berlin, but defeat did not change the fact that Southgate’s eight-year transformation put respect back into the world of England football.
Critics will pick apart his cautious tactics, his selection choices and his record in the most high-pressurised games – with some legitimacy.
Yet what is quickly forgotten is the laughing stock our national side had become before he took over in 2016.
A shambolic Euros exit to Iceland that summer had been followed up by Sam Allardyce quitting just one game into his tenure thanks to his pint of wine with undercover reporters.
Then came Southgate, with his decency, his humility, his understated eloquence and his vision for a better, different future.
He had analysed why England had so often failed in the past, from lack of preparation at penalty shoot-outs to players being bored out of their minds during major tournaments.
Southgate took those findings and implemented a culture where players wanted to play for their country again – and it led to back-to-back finals for the first time in our history.
Instead of going to war with the media, he opened his doors to them and discovered, shock, horror, that it was met, generally, with support.
It did not stop him from being criticised when required – we are no cheerleaders, here – but the vitriol of yesteryear – or today on social media – was largely gone.
No manager is perfect and neither was Southgate. We cannot pretend his teams played like those of Pep Guardiola or Jurgen Klopp.
But in the fullness of time, his feats will likely be revered because the results speak for themselves.
Hopefully his successor can go one step further and bring football home.
To do that, they must show respect to what Southgate has created and build on it, rather than rip it down.
To read more from Tom Barclay click HERE.
Southgate has paid little attention to the noise surrounding his departure, including criticism from pundits like Gary Lineker.
He said: “There’s no point in me talking about the team now.
“It’s for me to let other people take over, to give them the space to go and take the team on to the next challenges.
“There’s no point in me getting involved in anything like that.”
Despite ultimately failing to end the nation’s long wait for silverware, Southgate insists he’ll look back at his time in charge of the team with great pride.
He said: “We raised expectations and that was important.
“We needed to put English football back on the map.”
He added: “I think it was probably the right time for change.
“I don’t think you can have regrets.
“We made decisions with the information we had at the time to try and produce a winning team.”