Gareth Southgate confirms he wants to lead England into 2022 World Cup but says ‘I never want to outstay my welcome’
GARETH SOUTHGATE has confirmed he wants to lead England into the 2022 World Cup in Qatar but vowed to never ‘outstay my welcome’.
The Three Lions boss, 50, led his side to their first major final since the 1966 World Cup at Euro 2020, losing to Italy on penalties.
And now Southgate has confirmed he will lead England out for the next tournament in Qatar – but promised not to ‘outstay his welcome’.
The boss’ £3.5million-a-year contract is currently set to expire after the tournament in the Middle East.
Refusing to commit beyond next winter, Southgate said: “I don’t want to commit to something longer than I should.
“I never want to outstay my welcome.”
Southgate was instrumental in guiding England to the final of Euro 2020.
The boss wasn’t afraid to switch up his tactics and never named the same team twice in a row.
Southgate sent his troops out in a 4-3-3, 3-4-3 / 5-2-3 and 4-2-3-1 during the tournament.
England failed to concede a goal until the semi-final stage, when Mikkel Damsgaard’s sensational free-kick finally beat Jordan Pickford.
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The Three Lions scored within two minutes of the final against Italy at Wembley through Luke Shaw’s goal.
But Leonardo Bonucci’s scrambled tap-in eventually took the game to penalties with the hosts falling agonisingly short.
Southgate took responsibility for picking the penalty takers after questions were raised over those who stepped up – with Roy Keane slamming England’s senior stars for letting ‘young kid’ Bukayo Saka take the fifth spot-kick.
And after the game, the boss immediately consoled Marcus Rashford, Jadon Sancho and Saka, who were left heartbroken after missing their efforts.
Southgate and Co will now immediately turn their attention back to the 2022 World Cup, with England top of their qualifying group with three wins from their three matches.
The Three Lions boss led his nation to the semi-final of the 2018 World Cup in Russia before guiding them to the final at Euro 2020.
He’ll hope to now go one step further next winter.
When asked about the World Cup immediately after the game, Southgate said: “That feels a million miles away.
“For certain this team can be better and can improve.
“You have seen the young players we have blooded in this tournament and been absolutely fantastic.
“The players have been incredible to work with and tonight is going to be extremely difficult of course and you have to feel that disappointment because the opportunities to win trophies like this are so rare in your life.
“But when they reflect what they have done they should be incredibly proud of themselves.”
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