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Gareth Southgate says he will wait to decide his future after England’s Euro 2024 final heartbreak, saying an immediate decision was not one he was willing to take.
England lost a second successive European Championship final as Spain triumphed 2-1 in Berlin thanks to Mikel Oyarzabal’s late winner.
Immediately after the game the Three Lions boss was asked about his intentions with the job and the prospect of leading England at the 2026 World Cup in north America, but he stopped short of giving a full answer either way, insisting private conversations were needed first.
“It’s hard to reflect so soon after a defeat like this, to take England to two finals has never been done but we came here to win and we haven’t been able to do that,” he said.
“I totally understand the question and understand you need to ask it but I need to have those conversations with important people behind the scenes, I’m not discussing that publicly first.
“Without a doubt, England have fabulous young players and they have a lot of experience of tournaments now. Many of this squad will be around in two, four, six even eight years’ time. We have been consistently back in matches that matter - it’s the last step I haven’t been able to do.”
Speaking earlier to TV cameras, he again pointed out that the group of players would be around for the long haul regardless of his own position.
He said on ITV: “I don’t think now is a good time to make a decision like that.
“I’m going to talk to the right people and, yeah, it’s just not for now.
“I think England are in a really good position in terms of the experiences they’ve got now, the age of the squad. Most of this squad are going to be around not just for the World Cup but the next Euros as well. There’s a lot to look forward to but at this moment that’s not any consolation.”
England were outplayed by Spain, who won every game in the tournament, but hopes were briefly raised when Cole Palmer cancelled out Nico Williams’ opener, only for Spain to regain control and win it late on through Oyarzabal.
Southgate added on BBC One: “We have competed until the very end of the final.
“Today we didn’t keep possession of the ball quite well enough, especially when we had defended well.
“When they press you really well, you have got to get out of that pressure and we were not able to do that.
“In the end, that meant they had more control of the game and that can wear you down a bit.
“That said, we were still right in there when we got the equaliser, the game was still wide open, and we had a big chance at the end.
“As always in these games, it is fine margins, but I think there were the better team.”
Skipper Harry Kane, whose wait for a first career trophy goes on, was replaced on the hour to cap a disappointing tournament – even though he shares the Golden Boot on three goals.
Southgate admitted the Bayern Munich striker “has not quite reached the level we all would have hoped for” throughout the tournament.
“Physically it has been tough for him,” Southgate added. “He came into the tournament short on games and has not quite reached the level we all would have hoped.
“The games are hugely demanding and we thought Ollie’s freshness would allow us to press better and offer a press in behind.
“I thought the substitutes came on and did what we asked them to do.”
Additional reporting by PA
