Gareth Southgate has insisted the time was right for him to quit as England manager and that he has no regrets about his eight years in charge.
The 54-year-old stepped down following England’s defeat by Spain in the Euro 2024 final in July. Southgate led the country to back-to-back European finals and the semi-finals of the World Cup in 2018, but he was criticised in some quarters for his defensive tactics. “I think it was probably the right time for change,” he told Sky News. “I don’t think you can have regrets.
We made decisions with the information we had at the time to try and produce a winning team. “We raised expectations and that was important.
We needed to put English football back on the map.” Southgate’s replacement, interim boss Lee Carsley, has overseen Nations League wins over the Republic of Ireland and Finland in his first two games at the helm.