'Made my mind up' - Gareth Southgate hints at future job after England exit and Man United links

Former England manager Gareth Southgate has revealed he is not in a hurry to jump back into coaching after seeking counsel from high-profile figures, despite links to the vacant Manchester United position earlier this year.

Following his departure just two days after Spain's victory over the Three Lions in last summer's Euro 2024 final, Southgate reflected on his eight-year tenure during a candid discussion. In one of his first major interviews since resigning, he shared: "The fact it is one of the biggest jobs, I think, has meant I've wanted to give myself more time to talk to lots of fascinating people who have been in big jobs and find out what they did after that.

"I don't want to betray their confidences but people have been very generous with sharing and talking about those things, and all of them have said, 'Don't rush'. I've been 37 years a player and coach, and I'm not against the next period of my life being totally different. When you've had one of the biggest jobs, how do you follow that up?"

Pondering his future beyond football, he remarked: "Of course, with the national team it has a higher purpose as well but there will be other challenges out there that will excite me – and that doesn't have to be in coaching."

During an interview with Lauren Laverne on Desert Island Discs, Southgate, 54, hinted at the emotional challenge of leaving his position by naming Adele's hit 'Someone Like You' as indicative of his feelings. Recalling the moment, he said: "I kept playing it towards the end of the last Euros, because I knew I was going to be leaving.

"I'd made my mind up that it was time for change on all sides and there are so many of the words within it that even if I hear it today that it relates to my