LONDON, 20 (PA Media/dpa/EP)
Former England manager Gareth Southgate said Wednesday that he is not actively seeking a return to coaching as he is "enjoying" his life, and expressed his dismay at being linked with the Poland manager role this summer.
"I'm enjoying my life and have a lot going on. I'm writing a book and have several business interests. I do some leadership work, I help some young coaches, but I also have time to travel, play golf, and play padel, so I'm really enjoying that balance," Southgate told the PA news agency.
It's been 13 months since the former footballer ended his eight-year spell as national team coach, following the Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain in Berlin. The Watford-born manager led England to two consecutive Euro 2024 finals, as well as the World Cup semi-finals and quarter-finals.
Asked if he was considering returning to coaching, Southgate replied that "you can never say never" about anything, as when he left Middlesbrough 15 years ago he wasn't "sure I'd ever manage" any more teams. "Then I ended up taking a strange route to managing the national team. But it's not something I'm actively considering at the moment," he added.
In June of this year, speculation swirled in Poland about the possibility of Southgate managing his country's national team. "I'm kind of used to it," he said of the rumors surrounding him. "I was linked to the job in Poland, which I knew nothing about, so it was strange. You write something and then it spreads everywhere," he expressed.
Southgate collected the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) Merit Award, which recognizes his contributions to football and his achievements with the national team. Also present at the event, held at the Manchester Opera House, was current England manager Thomas Tuchel, who aims to build on those foundations and lead the team to glory at the World Cup in Canada, the United States, and Mexico next summer.
"I think they have a lot of good players," Southgate said of the current England squad. "As always, there are some promising young players, although it's important for me not to say much more than that, really, because I don't want to step on Thomas (Tuchel's) toes at all," he concluded.
