GARETH SOUTHGATE believes he must win Euro 2024 to have any chance of staying as England boss.
And he is happy to help the FA search for a successor – whenever the time comes.
Gareth Southgate believes he must win Euro 2024 if he wants to stay on as England bossGetty
Southgate, whose contract runs until December next year, took England all the way to the Euro 2020 final on home soil.
Asked if he thought he could take charge at another major tournament after next summer in Germany, Southgate said: “We’re going to have to play well and go a long way in the tournament for that even to be a consideration for everybody.
“I’m more than comfortable with that.
“My aim is to try to win the tournament and everything I do is geared around that and every conversation I have with the players now is geared around that.
“What will happen in the future at the moment isn’t at the forefront of my mind.
“But trying to win this European Championship is.”
Southgate considered stepping down after the World Cup in Qatar, partly because of the backlash to England’s dismal showing in the Nations League leading up to it.
He had a change of heart and revealed within days of the Three Lions’ quarter-final defeat by France that he would keep going at least until the end of his current deal.
But whatever happens between now and next summer, Euro 2024 looks like being the natural point for England and their second most successful manager to part company.
The FA, led by technical director John McDermott, will be making plans for who will succeed Southgate.
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He added: “Whatever John and everybody else at the FA would like, really – I’m not precious about it, if I could help in any way.
“At whatever point I leave here, hopefully we’ve won something, but if I’m second most successful, I’ll be more than happy to become the third very quickly.
“I joined here to help English football and that will never change for me.”