Gareth Southgate's coming home. He's decided to call it a day with England after defeat in the Euro 2024 final, and Jamie Carragher and Gary Neville have been discussing what might come next .
With the greatest will in the world to Southgate, the best outcome from a Liverpool perspective would surely involve him landing the Manchester United job after a rocky start to the campaign for Erik ten Hag. INEOS appears to be enamored with the mentality and mindset he has shown with England — but his tactics looked dated even on the international stage, so it's hard to imagine he would be the one to turn things around at Old Trafford, having not coached at club level since Middlesbrough in 2009.
However, neither Neville nor Carragher predict Manchester United on the horizon. The Liverpool legend thinks Southgate will return to the club game, but might struggle for the top jobs.
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"I think he will go into the club game. I can't see him getting a big one," predicted Carragher. "I think he'll get a Premier League job but I think it will probably be in the lower half of the table. I can't see it being a team in Europe.
"And I hope I'm wrong in saying that. He's obviously got history at a lot of clubs for his playing career — Aston Villa, Crystal Palace. I'm sure there will be options for him. Sensible, football people realize the job he's done for England."
But Neville thinks Southgate will be best suited to staying in the international game. "I would like to think Gareth will stay in international management," he told Sky Sports .
"His patience and understanding is second to none and it suits him. He is a statesman-like leader who represents countries really well.
"He is such a proud Englishman. He doesn’t look like a bulldog type who will fight for his country, like Terry Butcher and Stuart Pearce, but he is that type in a different shell.
"But I think he could take his learnings into another country. He could also stay with England and the FA in a higher role and develop English coaches."
In this respect, there was some consensus between Carragher and Neville. The former Liverpool man also saw some merit in the idea of a move upstairs for Southgate:
“Being part of the FA? I mean, listen, that could be something in the future," Carragher admitted. "I'm sure he'd be respected very highly at the FA and St George's Park with the experience he's gained over the last eight years.
“But I think after a short break he'll be ready to back into club football."
Liverpool.com says: Hopefully Carragher is right. Even if it's not Manchester United, which would be a car crash waiting to happen, it would be fascinating to see how Southgate got on with the rigors of the club game after so long in the England job.
It may be that his experiences stand him in good stead. Certainly, the England players seem to like and respect him.
But if he were to struggle badly, it might be a sign to the FA that they need to target someone with more recent and high-level club experience for their next appointment to the job. Sorry, but they won't be able to get Jurgen Klopp .
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