Gareth Southgate confirmed as England manager on three-and-a-half-year contract worth £6m

By:

Sports Editor

Add as a preferred source on Google

The Football Association has confirmed the appointment of Gareth Southgate as England manager on a full-time basis following a spell as interim coach.

Southgate and the FA agreed a contract believed to be worth around £1.5m a year plus bonuses until summer 2020, with a break option after the 2018 World Cup should he fail to deliver on expectations.

The announcement comes after his appointment, which was widely expected, was ratified at an FA board meeting on Wednesday.

Read more: Courageous England display bore interim manager's prints

Southgate said:

"I am extremely proud to be appointed England manager. However, I’m also conscious that getting the job is one thing, now I want to do the job successfully.

"I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working with the players over these past four games and I think there’s huge potential.

I’m determined to give everything I have to give the country a team that they’re proud of and one that they’re going to enjoy watching play and develop. For me, the hard work starts now."

 

Southgate’s first match as full-time manager is set to be against Germany on 22 March. That friendly with the world champions is followed four days later by a World Cup qualifying match at home to Lithuania.

The former Middlesbrough manager was working as England Under-21 coach when he was invited to take charge of the senior team on a temporary basis following the abrupt departure of Sam Allardyce in September.

He led England to seven points from three World Cup qualifiers against Malta, Slovenia and Scotland as well as an encouraging draw with Spain.

The 46-year-old also drew plaudits for confronting the debate over record scorer Wayne Rooney’s place in the team by dropping him for some games, and the diplomatic manner in which he handled the issue.

His salary is less than Allardyce’s £3m-a-year deal – then the most lucrative in international management, although a fraction of the sums commanded by leading club managers such as Pep Guardiola, who is thought to earn around £15m per season at Manchester City.

FA chief executive Martin Glenn said:

"We are delighted to confirm Gareth as England manager. He’s obviously somebody we know well but it’s his understanding of international football and the development set-up at St. George’s Park that is important.

"He performed extremely well during the four games he was in temporary charge and he impressed us during a tough interview process.

"Gareth is a great ambassador for what The FA stands for, he’s a very good football tactician and a leader but beneath that he’s a winner and that’s an important part of the job."

Southgate's success with Under-21s

The former England defender, who won 57 caps and missed a penalty in a Euro ‘96 semi-final shoot-out defeat to Germany, led the Under-21s to victory at the highly regarded Toulon Tournament in May.

Southgate’s young side won all five matches in France as they lifted the trophy for the first time since 1994. Their performance was a welcome boost following a dismal showing at the European Championship in 2015.

He took charge of the Under-21s in August 2013, almost four years after being dismissed from his only previous managerial position, at Middlesbrough, where he ended his playing career.