Southgate reveals why he considered quitting England

After their defeat to France in the

quarter-finals,

said he needed time to consider his future, but in the end, he decided to stay until the end of his contract, which runs until 2024.

In an interview with ITV News, Southgate said he considered stepping down from his role before the World Cup because of criticism he faced for

’s performances in the UEFA Nations League.

Southgate told ITV News:

“There was negativity about me being in charge and the last thing I wanted was for that to be the over-arching feeling going into a World Cup when you need the fans and everybody behind the team.

“You need that energy; you need that sense of togetherness.

“And if the debate was only going to be about finding flaws in what we were doing, in order that I go at the end, then that would have been very difficult for the team to perform at their best.”

Southgate also said their performance against France proved to England players that they can beat any team in the world.

“The performance against France has shown the players if they didn’t believe it before, which I still wonder whether they truly believed that before the game, but coming off the field they know that is a game they could win and should have won,”

Southgate said.

The 52-year-old manager also revealed that his family asked him to continue his job as England’s manager.

“They left Doha saying you’ve got to give this one more go and try to get this trophy,”

he said.

“I’m in a job with the chance to make some history and I have the privilege of leading the national team.”

Southgate's next task is to qualify for the Euro 2024 with England. The three lions have been drawn against Italy, Ukraine, North Macedonia, and Malta in Group C of the Euro 2024 qualifiers.

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