Gareth Southgate to hold talks over England future after Euro 2024 heartbreak

England manager Gareth Southgate has insisted he needs to "talk to the right people" before making a decision on his future with the team.

The Three Lions fell to defeat in a second consecutive European Championship on Sunday, with Spain running out 2-1 winners in Berlin.

Southgate's contract with England expires at the end of the calendar year and there have long been questions about his future with the team - not least because of his pre-tournament admission that he is likely to leave if England fail to win.

"I don’t think now is a good time to make a decision like that," Southgate told ITV after the final.

"I need to talk to the right people. It’s not for now."

Southgate was, however, optimistic for what the future holds for this England side regardless of who takes charge for the 2026 World Cup journey.

"England are in a really good position in terms of the experience they have," he continued. "Most of this squad will be around for the World Cup and the next Euros. There’s a lot to look forward to but at this moment it’s not any consolation."

Looking back on the crushing final defeat, Southgate reflected: "We've competed until the very end of the final. I think today we didn't keep possession of the ball quite well enough. We defended well but when you win the ball back you need to get out of that pressure. And we weren't able to do that. That meant they had more control of the game and that can wear you down a bit.

"That said, we got the equaliser and then it was wide open. A big chance at the end to equalise so as always it is fine margins. I do think they were the best team in the tournament."

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