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England legend Gary Neville says Gareth Southgate should stay in the dugout for ‘one more tournament.’
The opinion comes as the mystery around Southgate’s future continues. He has a contract with the Three Lions through Euro 2024, but the manager has yet to decide what to do next.
Other managers have now been linked with the role, including Mauricio Pochettino and Thomas Tuchel.
England boss should stay for ‘one more tournament’
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Comparing the situation with Southgate to previous England managers, Neville has backed the current boss to stay for one last tournament, which would be Euro 2024.
“There will be those who are listening, who say, ‘You’ve got to have someone who gets us over the line, you’ve got to have someone who has a winning mentality, you’ve got to change the manager,’” said Neville, as reported by LiveScore.
“I get that, it sounds beautiful and wonderful, but I remember us getting rid of Bobby Robson in 1990. I remember us getting rid of Terry Venables in 1996.
“It didn’t go particularly well straight after those tournaments and I think Gareth is doing a very good job and one more tournament for me feels right.”
Neville: ‘Hopefully this team can evolve’
Neville’s comments come after Southgate’s side fell at the quarter-final stage of the 2022 World Cup. The manager had previously led England to the semi-final of the 2018 World Cup and the final of Euro 2020.
But there is much optimism surrounding the young side, with the likes of Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden only just beginning their international careers.
They helped take the Three Lions to the last eight in Qatar, with the country having topped their group thanks to an unbeaten run early on.
They then eased past African champions Senegal in the round of 16, before a narrow 2-1 loss to defending champions France in the quarter-final. And Neville, who played 85 times for England, believes Southgate is the man to take them to the next stage.
The former Manchester United defender added that the boss should be kept on by the Football Association in the future to help out.
“Hopefully, this team can stick together and evolve,” added Neville. “I think it evolved in this tournament. We were more progressive, more positive in matches, and we go for it again.
“He has seen it all, and I think he should be kept within the system to design the future. He has been there for 10 years. I would like him to stay with the FA beyond his coaching role.”
Will Southgate stay on as England manager?
Southgate’s England win percentage of 60.5% puts him fifth on the all-time list. He has certainly won plenty of supporters given the nation’s displays at recent tournaments.
But it has not all been a success, with the Three Lions suffering relegation from their recent UEFA Nations League group. They drew three and lost three of their six matches, finishing bottom behind Italy, Hungary and Germany.
Southgate has told the FA that he needs time to make a decision on his future, but the next event is rapidly approaching, with Euro 2024 qualification getting underway in March.
England will meet Italy once more in their group, as well as taking on Ukraine, North Macedonia and Malta.
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