On the one hand, there is “what’s been said, what’s been written, the night at Molineux” (when England were humiliated by Hungary), the pressure, criticism and scrutiny that England’s most successful manager since Sir Alf Ramsey has struggled to understand and reason with over the past 18 months. On the other, and perhaps the most compelling argument for Gareth Southgate to stay on until the European Championship at least, is the emerging generation of young talent that his own work over the past decade has helped bring through.
There is a case to be made that Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden were England’s best players in Qatar. At 23-years-old, Declan Rice is already one of Europe’s leading holding midfielders. Mason Mount is only four days older than him. Reece James is a year younger than both. Trent Alexander-Arnold still has plenty of time to have a fulfilling international career if his unique gifts can be harnessed by a suitable tactical set-up. Marcus Rashford has earned his 50th cap and is only 25-years-old.
