England manager Gareth Southgate has stated that “now is not the time” to decide his future after the Three Lions’ 2-1 loss to Spain in the Euro 2024 final in Berlin on Sunday.
Southgate, 53, has been at the helm since 2016, with his current contract set to expire in December.
When asked about his plans, Southgate told the BBC, “Now is not the time for me to speak about that. I need to talk to the right people and give myself a bit of time. To get to another final… it was a privilege to have the opportunity. But to come up short is hard at the moment.”
Under Southgate’s leadership, England has reached back-to-back European finals, the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup, and the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup.
Despite England progressing to the knockout stages as group winners in Germany, Southgate faced criticism. Supporters even aimed plastic cups at him following their 0-0 draw with Slovenia in the group stage.
“The players will take enormous credit for getting us to where we did but when you’re as close as that, you have to take your chance,” Southgate told ITV. “They have represented the shirt with pride and haven’t been beaten until the very end. I just think Spain had more control of the game.”
