Gareth Southgate will keep the Football Association waiting on a decision over his future with the England manager not set to decide whether he will continue in the role under after the new year.
Southgate said he was considering his future following England’s World Cup exit in Qatar, admitting he felt ‘conflicted’ over whether to continue and revealing that he had found ‘large parts of the last 18 months difficult’.
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The 52-year-old is contracted until 2024 and the FA want Southgate to lead the Three Lions to the European Championship that summer.
According to the Telegraph, Southgate will not make an immediate decision and will use Christmas as a time to reflect with his family and make a decision on whether to move forward.
It is understood there is no succession plan in place should he depart, though the FA will consider foreign coaches should Southgate step down from the role.
Mauricio Pochettino and Thomas Tuchel are both understood to be open to the role, while Brendan Rodgers has also been named as a candidate. Southgate’s assistant, Steve Holland, and former England midfielders Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard are outsiders for the position.
England begin their qualification campaign for Euro 2024 in March and the FA will want to give a new manager, if one is required, as much time as possible to prepare.
The Three Lions start the group with a trip to face European champions Italy on March 23, before hosting Ukraine three days later.
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