England manager is expected to sign a new two-year contract which will take him through to Euro 2024 in Germany; his current deal is set to expire after next year's World Cup in Qatar
Friday 12 November 2021 23:09, UK
Gareth Southgate is expected to sign a new two-year contract extension as England manager.
His current deal is due to end after the Qatar World Cup in December next year.
The new deal will take him through to Euro 2024 in Germany.
Under Southgate, England reached the semi-finals of the World Cup in 2018 and then the final of Euro 2020, and the FA will reward him with a new deal.
Southgate signed a four-year contract when he was appointed in November 2016, and after the 2018 World Cup, he signed an improved four-year deal.
After beating Albania 5-0 on Friday evening, Southgate remained focused on World Cup qualification with England still needing a point to reach Qatar.
He told ITV: "We need a point. We're not done and it would be wrong for my attention to be anywhere else but that. My job is to get this team into a World Cup and then we can look at everything else after that.
"It's an irrelevance for me. I'm under contract, I'm not out of contract and I'm very well supported here, I've said that all along. My focus is just getting this qualification done and everything else can wait."
When asked by Sky Sports News if he was still enjoying the England job, Southgate replied: "Absolutely. We've got some fabulous players to work with and we're a competitive team. Those opportunities in life don't come around too often so I'm hugely proud to do the job and I'm massively proud of the performance tonight."
England captain Harry Kane was also asked about the manager's future, adding: "Me and a lot of the lads love Gareth. We want him to stay as long as possible. But it's his personal decision, we'll back him whatever he does. We'll enjoy tonight and let's get one more win on Monday then we can enjoy what has been a fantastic year."
The 51-year-old coached Middlesbrough from 2006-09 and in September, Sky Sports News reported that Southgate has the ambition to go back to being a club manager at some point, but is happy leading England for the time being.
England play their final Group I World Cup qualifier against San Marino on Monday, November 15, sitting unbeaten at the top of the group table and needing just a draw to qualify.
Follow San Marino vs England on Monday (kick-off 7.45pm) with our live blog, and watch free match highlights on the Sky Sports website and app, as well as the Sky Sports Football YouTube channel.
The 2022 World Cup is taking place in Qatar in the winter months rather than the usual summer ones, due to the heat.
The tournament kicks off on Monday November 21 at the Al Bayt stadium in Al Khor with a match that will feature the host country.
The final will be played at the Lusail Stadium in Doha a week before Christmas on Sunday December 18.
The tournament will feature 32 teams in eight groups of four.
Four matches will be played each day during the group stage, which will run over a 12-day period and see winners and runners-up progress to the round of 16.
Matches will only be assigned to particular venues after the finals draw, so organisers can choose optimal kick-off times to suit television audiences in different countries, as well as supporters out in Qatar.
The finals draw is scheduled to take place in April 2022, after the March window for international fixtures.
Unlike at Euro 2020, there will be a third-place play-off game on December 17.
Group stage: November 21- December 2
Round of 16: December 3-6
Quarter-finals: December 9/10
Semi-finals: December 13/14
Final: December 18
