Jamie Carragher believes the upcoming World Cup should be Gareth Southgate’s last tournament in charge of England.
Southgate revealed on Thursday afternoon which players had made the cut in his 26-man squad for the tournament. The Three Lions kick-off their campaign in 11 days against Iran.
The 52-year-old replaced Sam Allardyce, who lasted just one game, and was following on from the Euro 2016 disappointment under Roy Hodgson. England were beaten by Iceland in the last-16.
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Under the stewardship of Southgate, England reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup in Russia before being beaten in the final of Euro 2020 last year. The Three Lions lost on penalties to Italy at Wembley.
Southgate signed a new contract to lead the national side until 2024 last year, with his previous deal set to expire at the end of this winter’s World Cup. But despite still having two-years remaining on his deal, Carragher believes the England boss should use the tournament in Qatar as his 'swansong'.
“If I was Gareth Southgate, I would make the Qatar World Cup my swansong as England manager,” he wrote in his Daily Telegraph column.
“Hopefully England will produce to a strong enough level to ensure that is Southgate’s call. After his excellence in the job to this point, the least he deserves is to leave on his own terms when he feels the time is right.
“He is intelligent enough to have sensed a mood shift over the last few months, even if some of the negativity surrounding him during the build-up to the tournament is a joke.”
Before the Liverpool great added: “Walking away from the job would be the most difficult decision of Southgate’s career and I am sure his sole focus is on the next month. It was only last year he signed an extension until 2024 to remove any speculation before heading to Qatar.
“The natural cycle should be for a rethink every four years so a coach builds towards the next World Cup. Unless Southgate has the energy for that, it is wiser to step away.
“Southgate may win over the doubters for a third time over the next few weeks. My hope for Qatar is England to again retain interest in the competition until the final week to give Southgate the option of leaving the job through the front door with his head held high.”
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