England boss Gareth Southgate urged to stay until 2026 World Cup: 'The lads would love it'

England manager Gareth Southgate has been urged to stay on until the 2026 World Cup by one of his key players at Euro 2024 .

Southgate leads England into a second successive European Championship final on Sunday as the Three Lions face Spain in Berlin amid hopes he can steer the men's team to a first major honour since the 1966 World Cup.

The former England defender has been in charge since September 2016 and has now overseen more than 100 games for his country in that time.

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The 53-year-old is out of contract in December, but reports on Saturday morning claimed he will be offered a fresh deal by the Football Association – whatever happens in Sunday's final.

Speaking ahead of the game against Spain, midfielder Declan Rice backed Southgate to stay for another two years, insisting that the manager had the backing of the whole squad, despite criticism from fans and the media for some poor performances at Euro 2024.

"I woke up to the news this morning that the FA wanted him to stay until '26. This journey and this road that he has been on has been so special," Rice said.

"Hopefully we can do something special for him for sure and I know for a fact the lads would love him to stay on until '26, there's no doubt about that.

"The way he looks after us, how calm he is, how he is as a man-manager, how he is on the training pitch with us, he's top.

"But none of us have spoken to him. That's none of our business. Whatever he wants to do, whatever makes him happy, I'm sure he'll make the right decision. But I'm sure he's got the backing of everyone to stay on."

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