Gareth Southgate has suggested he may never return to management, more than two years after departing his position as England head coach. Southgate, 56, enjoyed an eight-year tenure with the Three Lions, guiding them to two UEFA European Championship finals and a FIFA World Cup semi-final.
Southgate stepped away from the England role following the team's loss to Spain at Euro 2024. He has since been linked with several positions, including at Manchester United, but it appears he is not entertaining a comeback to management anytime soon.
Asked on The Amol Rajan Connection whether he would consider a return to the Premier League, Southgate said, as quoted by The Mirror: "I don't see a scenario where I do that. Towards the end of my time with England, I stopped enjoying, at the very least for a period, the wins keep you going. By the end, I didn't even enjoy the wins for any longer than a couple of minutes. So, I've hardly watched football. I went to the FA Cup final to see my team, Crystal Palace, win their first trophy. I've not been to a football ground since. So my sort of desire to be involved in football has changed."
Since leaving the England job, Southgate has kept himself occupied, spending time as a technical observer for UEFA while also taking up a position as a visiting lecturer at Harvard Business School.
"I've loved the last 18 months of my life," Southgate added. "I've had 37 years where my sense of self depended on did I win or lose on Saturday. And actually, I've loved having different experiences. I've met politicians, I've met people in the media industry, I have learned about leadership in all sorts of areas, I've travelled around the world learning things. I've just enjoyed playing a different film in my life."
Southgate was appointed England manager in 2016 as Roy Hodgson's replacement. The Three Lions reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup under his leadership, where they were beaten by Croatia. England then reached the final of the subsequent European Championship, losing to Italy on penalties, before reaching the final again in 2024, this time losing to Spain.
Southgate departed his role after that tournament and was succeeded by Thomas Tuchel, who guided England to another semi-final appearance this summer in his first major competition in charge.
