The Football Association (FA) are confident Gareth Southgate will stay on as England manager following his team's World Cup exit.
Southgate is mulling over his future and will have showdown talks with the FA in January. The Three Lions boss, who has been in charge since September 2016, has two years remaining on his existing deal - with the Euros in Germany just 18 months away.
Some critics have called for Southgate to step down after England's failure to win the World Cup, but that would be problematic for the FA because there is no obvious favourite to succeed him. His exit would force the FA to draw up an unwanted shortlist.
As reported by The Telegraph, Southgate has 'sparked positivity' within the FA that he'll stay on as England boss. It's claimed sources close to Southgate believe his demeanour during the World Cup would suggest that he's not ready to give up the gig.
The Three Lions manager was reportedly planning on making the World Cup his last tournament in charge, but the FA and sources close to him are now more hopeful that won't be the case. Southgate is expected to make his decision by January at the latest.
It's believed England players want Southgate to carry on and build on their progress since he took over, initially on a temporary basis, six years ago. He's become the most successful Three Lions boss since Sir Alf Ramsey, who won the World Cup in 1966.
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Southgate led England to the semi-finals of the World Cup in Russia four years ago and to a third-placed finish in the Nations League in 2019. His greatest achievement was leading England to the final of Euro 2020, where they lost to Italy on penalties at Wembley.
Southgate must make a decision on his future sooner rather than later because England's Euro 2024 qualifying campaign starts in March. They must finish in the top two of a tough qualifying group that contains Italy, Ukraine, North Macedonia and Malta.
England will be confident of winning the Euros in Germany if they can negotiate their tricky qualification group. They were knocked out of the World Cup in the quarter-finals by champions France, who will play Argentina in Sunday's final at the Lusail Stadium.
If Southgate leaves his position, England will struggle to replace him. There are a lack of top English managers available at the moment, as Eddie Howe and Graham Potter have bagged lucrative gigs at Premier League sides Newcastle and Chelsea respectively.
The idea of appointing a non-English manager has drawn criticism. The likes of Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino and Brendan Rodgers have been linked with the job, yet it's questionable whether they would want to commit to such a long-term project.
Other potential candidates include Southgate's assistant Steve Holland, Everton boss Frank Lampard and the unattached Steven Gerrard, although none of those are regarded as top-class managers. Yet neither was Southgate when he took the England job.
