The 52-year-old spent a week pondering his future in the wake of England’s quarter-final defeat to France before announcing he would see out a deal that runs until December 2024.
But Southgate was left to wonder if he was still the right man for the job after the strong criticism that came after the 4-0 Nations League defeat to Hungary last summer and considered announcing he would step down following the World Cup.
He eventually deferred his decision until after the tournament and told ITV News his family were pivotal to his conclusion. ‘They left Doha saying you’ve got to give this one more go and try to get this trophy,’ he said.
‘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 everybody behind the team. You need that energy, that sense of togetherness. And if the debate was only going to be about finding flaws in what we were doing, that would have been very difficult for the team to perform.’
Southgate accepts the only way to answer his critics will be with silverware but believes that is a realistic prospect at Euro 2024 and beyond.
‘I’m determined to try and drive the team that next step,’ he said.
‘I think now we’re in a different landscape to any previous England team, because of the success we’ve had. In our own minds, winning is probably the only thing that’s going to fulfil us.’
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