PATRICE EVRA has urged Gareth Southgate to continue as the England manager.
The former Manchester United defender hailed the Three Lions boss as the “future of England”.
Southgate is statistically the best England manager of all time, having led the side to a World Cup semi-final and Euros final before this tournament’s quarter-final defeat to France.
Following the exit from the tournament in Qatar, there have been question marks over Southgate’s future as manager of England – with the FA giving him Christmas to think about it.
Some have argued that he is not capable of leading the team past the top international teams.
Whereas others have argued that he has done better than any other manager since Sir Alf Ramsey won the World Cup in 1966.
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But Evra believes that he should be kept on as manager.
He told Sky Sports: “This England squad is not better than the England squad when you had like Paul Scholes, Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand and all of that.
“But they play as a team, and he built that.
“So that is why I don’t even understand why there is a debate. He should stay, or should he leave?
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“Southgate should stay, Southgate is the future of England.
“But I sometimes think, with personal reasons, when you feel like you’re doing great, and you’re still being criticised, maybe some people from your family would say, ‘you know what? You need to retire’.
“But people forget that England was in the final of the Euros, and now they lose against France.
“Of course, they could have won that game. But please, I ask the fans in England, and I love the English fans… give more credit to your team and your players because they are doing a fantastic job”.
Southgate, along with the FA, is currently reviewing their positions.
He has a contract to be the manager until after the Euros in 2024.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
