Gareth Southgate has admitted that he will likely stand down if England do not win Euro 2024.
The Three Lions boss is under contract until December - potentially giving him a cooling off period to consider his future after the tournament - but he believes supporters could "lose faith" if he does not lead the nation to glory in Germany.
“If we don’t win, I probably won’t be here anymore,” Southgate told German newspaper Bild. “So maybe it is the last chance. I think around half the national coaches leave after a tournament – that’s the nature of international football.
“I’ve been here almost eight years now and we’ve come close. You can’t constantly put yourself in front of the public and say, ‘A little more please,’ as at some point people lose faith. If we want to be a great team and I want to be a top coach, you must deliver in big moments.”
The Football Association (FA) would like Southgate to extend his deal and remain in post for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
The FA are solely focused on this summer's Euros and have not begun succession planning, with the hope that Southgate will start talks over a new deal after the finals.
Out-of-work former Brighton and Chelsea coach Graham Potter and Newcastle boss Eddie Howe are the leading English contenders, while Mauricio Pochettino, who is a free agent after leaving Stamford Bridge, is interested in the job. Thomas Tuchel is also said to be open to an approach from the FA.
Southgate added that he did not consider discussing a new contract before the Euros because it would only have "put more pressure on the team".
If we don’t win Euro 2024, I probably won’t be here anymore
The 53-year-old led England to near-misses in the 2018 World Cup and at the last Euros, where they lost the final on penalties to Italy at Wembley, while they were beaten by France in the quarter-final of the winter World Cup in Qatar 18 months ago.
"We have a great depth in the squad, especially in attack," Southgate added. "The team has developed further since the last World Cup and gained more experience."
The England squad arrived at their new base camp near Erfurt on Monday, and will train in Germany for the first time on Tuesday afternoon, at a UEFA open session in Jena in front of what is expected to be a crowd of up to 10,000 supporters.
There will be particular focus on John Stones, who was forced off at half-time of Friday's final warm-up friendly against Iceland with a knock, while Bukayo Saka has missed several training sessions due to a groin problem picked up towards the end of the season. The Arsenal winger played 25 minutes against Iceland.
Southgate still has decisions to make on team selection before England's opening group game against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday, particularly the identity of Declan Rice's partner in midfield.
Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold is understood to be in pole position after an impressive showing in the warm-up game against Bosnia and Herzegovina at St James' Park last Monday.
