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GARETH SOUTHGATE is veering towards extending his spell as England boss to the 2026 World Cup.
But the Three Lions chief will NOT outstay his England welcome if there is no mood for him to remain at the helm.
PA
PAAnd the equation could be thrown up into the air if he is offered the chance to replace Erik ten Hag at Manchester United.
Southgate has attempted to publicly park issues surrounding his future until after Euro 2024.
What happens in Germany, though, is likely to have a direct impact on his decision.
At this stage, Sun Sport understands, Southgate will be minded to take his team through to the USA, Mexico and Canada if this summer is deemed a success.
In an ideal world, that would mean England lifting their first major trophy since 1966 – and Southgate is increasingly confident in the quality of his squad.
Even another near-miss, if England play with the style and panache Southgate believes they are capable of displaying – the form of Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane, Declan Rice and John Stones has only added to that view – is likely to be enough for the manager to want one more tournament.
That would be the perfect scenario for the FA, who want Southgate to stay but will respect his wish to hold off any fresh talks until the end of the tournament.
Southgate, however, will not seek to defy the public mood if the fans do turn against him.
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He is known to have been badly bruised by the reaction of supporters inside Molineux during the humbling 4-0 Nations Cup defeat by Hungary in 2022.
At one point, it is believed that Southgate might even have been ready to walk before Qatar, although he came out of the World Cup in a very different place.
Gareth Southgate's managerial career
Here is how Southgate's managerial career has unfolded:
June 2006: Joins Middlesbrough on a five-year deal after Steve McClaren left to become England manager
May 2007: Guided Boro to a 12th place finish in his first season in Premier League management
May 2008: Boro finish 13th and beat Man City 8-1 on the final day as Arsene Wenger labels Southgate “good enough” to coach England
May 2009: Boro are relegated on the final day after defeat to West Ham but Southgate stayed on as boss
October 2009: Southgate sacked by Boro despite the club sitting just one point adrift of top spot in the Championship
August 2013: Succeeds Stuart Pearce as England U21s manager
June 2015: England U21s finish bottom of their European Championship group with just one point from three games
September 2016: Southgate takes temporary charge of England’s senior side following Sam Allardyce’s dismissal
November 2016: Appointed England boss on a four-year contract
July 2018: Guides England to the World Cup semi-finals – their first journey to the last four since Euro 96
July 2021: England reach their first major final since 1966 but lose to Italy on penalties at Wembley
November 2021: Signs a new contract to keep him as England boss until December 2024
December 2022: Reaches the World Cup quarter-finals before England are beaten by France
However, an approach by United could change everything – even if it is hard to see how the timetable would fit.
The chance to manage one of the biggest clubs in the world might be a temptation too great for Southgate to refuse if he did receive a formal offer.
He knows that such an opportunity would be unlikely to come again – although quite how Southgate could prepare for the new campaign starting barely a month after the end of the Euros, with limited time to get to know his players, would be a difficult one to square.
And the other factor is Southgate’s loyalty and commitment to the England cause. It is something that really, deeply, matters to him. His is a quiet patriotism, but no less fervent.
Leaving his players before he has completed the journey would be a tough decision for him to take.
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