FA ‘open to appointing foreign manager’ as England boss Gareth Southgate reflects on future after World Cup elimination

THE FA are reportedly open to appointing a foreign England manager if Gareth Southgate decides to leave.

The Three Lions put in an impressive performance against France in Saturday’s World Cup quarter-finals but went down 2-1 in the end.

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After the game, Southgate, who has been in charge since 2016, insisted he needed time to reflect on his future after Qatar’s departure.

His comments have prompted many to speculate about his possible departure – with talks set to take place in the coming weeks.

The FA are keen on Southgate leading the national team to Euro 2024.

But if that plan fails, The Mail would be willing to consider appointing a non-English head coach.

Former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino is the bookies’ favorite to succeed Southgate, with ex-Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel also linked.

That’s because the two England coaches widely regarded as the best of the moment – Eddie Howe and Graham Potter – are beginning to build at Newcastle and Chelsea respectively.

Other homegrown candidates such as Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard have yet to prove themselves as top-level managers.

Nottingham Forest’s Wales boss Steve Cooper and Leicester’s Northern Ireland head coach Brendan Rodgers are both named as potential bosses who could take on Southgate.

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However, the likes of Pochettino, Tuchel and Rodgers are believed to face a pay cut should they be appointed England manager.

Southgate is around £6million, less than the three well-known club managers would expect.

And the FA are keen to tighten purses after losing £300million during the pandemic.

That could mean they stay with an Englishman, with SunSport on Sunday reporting the FA are interested.

England have only appointed two foreign coaches in their history.

Swede Sven-Göran Eriksson took over in 2001 and was in charge for five years – reaching the quarter-finals of the 2002 World Cup, 2004 European Championship and 2006 World Cup.

Italy’s Fabio Capello then followed him, but only made it to the round of 16 at the 2010 World Cup.