England’s manager Gareth Southgate looks on from the touchline during the Fifa World Cup 2022 qualifying match between England and Andorra at Wembley Stadium in London, September 5, 2021. — AFP pic
LONDON, Oct 12 — England manager Gareth Southgate said he will speak to the Football Association about his contract in the next few weeks as his immediate focus is helping the team reach the 2022 World Cup finals.
Southgate guided England to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals in Russia before securing a third-placed finish in the inaugural 2019 Uefa Nations League. The team were runners-up to Italy in the European Championship earlier this year.
The 51-year-old is under contract until after the World Cup but FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said in June they were keen to extend the deal.
England, who host Hungary in a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday, are top of Group I with 19 points from seven games.
“I said last month I had asked to put that (contract talks) further back into the autumn as I just wanted to focus on these games and also to give the time to make the right decision,” Southgate told reporters.
“After the Euros there’s a huge amount of emotion and feeling and fatigue from going through a tournament like that. I want to make sure that I’m making the right decisions for the right reasons.
“Discussions are very much open and Mark has been really supportive but I’ve felt this task of getting the country to the World Cup was the priority. We can look at everything in the next few weeks.” — Reuters