Gary Neville and Ian Wright weren't on the same page in assessing how big of an opportunity Gareth Southgate 's England had missed by crashing out of the World Cup.
The Three Lions would've played the tournament's dark horses, Morocco, in next Wednesday's semi-final clash - had they beat France, of course. Instead, Southgate and co. will fly home from Qatar on Sunday after narrowly losing 2-1 and seeing star striker Harry Kane sky a late penalty.
Neville couldn't ignore the fact that England would've been heavy favourites against a plucky Morocco side who became the first African nation ever to reach a World Cup semi-final when they pulled off a 1-0 triumph over a lacklustre Portugal earlier on Saturday. Wright, on the other hand, played down the semi-final talk and focused on the reality of the France defeat.
Asked by ITV presenter Mark Pougatch whether the Three Lions will be feeling even more disappointed given the prospect of facing Morocco, former Manchester United captain Neville admitted: "I think the lads will think that. We're not going to be hard on them because we thought they've done brilliantly for four years.
"I think the lads in the changing room will think that's an opportunity. They had the game by the scruff of the neck, play Morocco in the semi-final and they're in good form."
Arsenal legend Wright countered his fellow pundit's stance, saying: "I wouldn't say it's a huge opportunity. We missed a penalty, came from behind twice against the world champions. For me, we should've been in that game, we could've got a penalty in the first half. We can't say it's a missed opportunity because of the missed penalty."
The focus will now turn to Southgate's future as boss, even though his contract with the FA doesn't expire until after the European Championships in the summer of 2024. England will begin their qualifying campaign in March, but their 52-year-old manager failed to confirm whether he would be in charge come the spring, despite previously expressing his desire to do so.
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"I think whenever I've finished these tournaments I've needed time to make correct decisions because emotionally you go through so many different feelings and the energy that it takes through these tournaments is enormous," Southgate explained.
"I want to make the right decision, whenever that is, for the team, for England, for the FA, and I've got to be sure whatever the decision I take is the right one. I think it's right to take a bit of time to do that because I know in the past how my feelings have fluctuated in the immediate aftermath of tournaments."
