Gareth Southgate defends England approach and vows to not outstay his welcome

Gareth Southgate insists he will not outstay his welcome as the England manager hit back at continued criticism over his perceived conservative approach.

The Three Lions boss has taken his country to a World Cup semi-final, a Nations League third-place finish and the final of Euro 2020 in the past four years.

But even during his most successful spells he has had to face accusations that he sets up his sides too cautiously.

Supporters and former England players have called for the likes of Liverpool full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold and Manchester City’s £100million man Jack Grealish to play more.

But Southgate refutes the idea that he is not gung-ho enough and singled out what he considered a selfless performance from Mason Mount in the 1-1 Nations League draw in Germany as something that largely goes unnoticed.

“Look, I’ve got to find a balance because I don’t want to sit and be defensive but some people have managed teams and others haven’t,” he said.

“Until you’ve managed teams, you have a different view of the game because what’s needed to win football matches are the sorts of things that Mount did on (Joshua) Kimmich that allows other things to happen.

“Of course for the man who comes and stands on the terrace and in old terms pays his money, I totally understand he wants to see a Grealish with a (Raheem) Sterling, with a (Bukayo) Saka…but you’ve got to have a balance of the team, this is top-level football.

“I think that balance of the team to get to a semi-final and final has been pretty good and maybe we’ve talked for years about why we haven’t got there. I’ve got to manage in the way I see fit.”

Asked if he had been in touch with pundits who have criticised his approach, Southgate replied: “Never.

“They are