Gareth Southgate has admitted that he made the decision to step down as England coach long before the Three Lions' defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final.
Confirmation of Southgate's departure came just two days later England fell at the last hurdle From Europe's premier competition, with a lengthy search for a replacement eventually leading the Football Association to former Chelsea and Bayern Munich coach Thomas Tuchel.
During his appearance on the BBC Desert Island Discs, Southgate admitted he listened to Adele 'Someone like you' To help him come to terms with the decision he made to leave England during Euro 2024.
“I kept playing until the end of the last European Championship because I knew I was leaving,” Southgate said.
“I have made up my mind that it is time for a change in all aspects, and there are a lot of words in it, even if I hear them today they are about my relationship with England and their relationship with me, and how I really feel about all of that.
“Like the way they have to move on, and you wish them the best, and there's regret, and there were really memories to be made. There's a lot of lines in it that really resonated with me.”
Southgate has been heavily linked With a return to training with a full range of Premier League teams, including Manchester UnitedBut he insisted he was not looking to rush back to work.
“I think the fact that (England) is one of the biggest jobs means I wanted to give myself more time to talk to a lot of great people who have been in big jobs and find out what they did next.” Southgate explained.
“I don't want to betray their trust, but people have been very generous in sharing and talking about these things, and they all said: 'Don't rush.'
“I've been a player and coach for 37 years, and I'm not against the next period of my life being completely different. When you take on one of the biggest jobs, how do you follow that up?”
