Gareth Southgate ‘conflicted’ over England role after World Cup following ‘difficult 18 months' in charge of Three Lions
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ByEurosport
Published 12/12/2022 at 07:15 GMT
England boss Gareth Southgate says he has found “large parts of the last 18 months difficult” as he weighs up whether to continue as Three Lions manager. The 52-year-old added that he is “conflicted” about his future. Southgate has been manager of England since 2016, taking the Three Lions to three major tournaments since his appointment. He has a contract until the end of the Euros in 2024.
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Gareth Southgate is “conflicted” about his future as England manager.
The 52-year-old said in the aftermath of the Three Lions’ 2-1 loss to France at the quarter-final stage of the World Cup that he needed a bit of time before deciding on his future as England boss.
Southgate will – as with prior tournaments – review the World Cup with the FA in the coming weeks, but he has shrouded his future in doubt with his latest comments.
“I’ve found large parts of the last 18 months difficult,” Southgate said.
“For everything that I’ve loved about the last few weeks, I still have … how things have been for 18 months. What’s been said and what’s been written. The night at Wolves. There’s lots of things in my head that’s really conflicted at the moment."
The former Middlesbrough manager added that he wants to ensure that any decision that he does take is the correct one.
“What I want to make sure, if it’s the right thing to stay, is that I’ve definitely got the energy to do that," he added.
"I don’t want to be four or five months down the line thinking, ‘I’ve made the wrong call.’ It’s too important for everybody to get that wrong.”
Southgate has now been in charge of England for three major tournaments, and he has spoken of the physical and mental toll coaching the national team has taken on him.
“When I’ve been through the past few tournaments, my emotions have been difficult to really think through properly in those following few weeks,” he said.
“It took so much energy out of you and you have so much going through your mind.
“I want to make the right decision either way because it has to be the right one to go again, or the right one not to go again, and I don’t think now is the time to make a decision like that. Neither are the next few days, really.”
Southgate has a contract that runs until the end of the European Championships in 2024.
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