GARETH SOUTHGATE could sensationally end his eight-year spell as England manager this summer.
Reports claim Manchester United’s new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants him to succeed Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford.
The Dutchman’s future is currently in doubt amid inconsistent form and fractured relationships behind the scenes.
Former Chelsea manager Graham Potter had been the favourite to take over following Ratcliffe’s arrival.
However, Southgate has emerged as the club’s new top choice.
Ratcliffe and Sir David Brailsford allegedly spoke to a string of United legends about who should replace Ten Hag and the “overwhelming choice” was the England boss.
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But should Southgate decide to make the switch, who could replace him at the Wembley helm?
SunSport looks at seven potential candidates for the Three Lions job.
Graham Potter
Potter has been out of work since his Chelsea dismissal in April last year.
The 48-year-old appears to be waiting for the perfect role having already turned down offers from Lyon, Leicester and the Sweden national team.
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And should the opportunity arise, the England job could provide just that.
Potter has already established relationships with the likes of Ben Chilwell, Lewis Dunk and Conor Gallagher through his previous jobs.
And although his time at Chelsea didn’t go to plan, the former defender proved his worth during his spell at Brighton.
Fans’ favourite for the job
According to a poll from LiveScore, this is who fans want as the next England manager..
- Eddie Howe – 28%
- Pep Guardiola – 22%
- Jose Mourinho – 12%
- Graham Potter – 11%
- Steven Gerrard – 5%
- Sarina Wiegman – 5%
- Sean Dyche – 4%
- Thomas Tuchel – 3%
- Steve Cooper – 2%
- Mauricio Pochettino – 2%
- Gary O’Neil – 1%
- Lee Carsley – 1%
- Other – 4%
Eddie Howe
The Newcastle boss is allegedly on the FA’s list of potential candidates should the England job become vacant.
Howe has been able to get the best out of his players in recent years, especially the likes of Anthony Gordon, Kieran Trippier and Harvey Barnes.
So it’s no surprise that he is being considered to succeed Southgate.
However, he is understood to be reluctant to take the job.
The 46-year-old does not want to become an international manager at this stage of his career and instead hopes to be at Newcastle for the long run.
Jose Mourinho
Love him or hate him, Mourinho would certainly be an interesting pick for the England job.
The former Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham manager is out of work having been sacked by Roma in January.
He is yet to find a new job despite being linked with a move to Barcelona and the Saudi Pro League.
But ex-Chelsea star Mario Melchiot claims Mourinho could become England manager in future.
Earlier this year he told Ladbrokes Fanzone: “Do I see him coming back to England? I’m not sure. Why would he? He has done so many great things in this country.
“He had two spells in charge of Chelsea and was successful in both, he’s also managed Manchester United and Tottenham before going out to Italy.
“I just don’t know what else he’d need to prove in England. What is he going to do next? Go to Liverpool? Probably not. I suppose the only job he might take in England, now, is the national job.
“It’s something that has been spoken about in the past and, personally, I think that would just come down to what the FA want from their next manager.”
Mourinho was almost appointed as England manager back in 2007 but turned the role down because it didn’t appeal to him at the time.
But having firmly established himself as a serial winner in Europe, it could now be time for a new challenge.
Pep Guardiola
Guardiola has won pretty much every trophy that has become available to him so far in his career.
He lifted five just last year alone with Manchester City.
The Spaniard would be a dream pick for most England fans given his incredible success across Europe – even though he is yet to manage an international side.
Guardiola has already established close relationships with several senior England stars including John Stones, Kyle Walker, Jack Grealish and Phil Foden meaning he would likely fit nicely into the position of England manager.
And should he decide to leave Man City in the near future, the job at Wembley could provide a refreshing new challenge.
Sarina Wiegman
Wiegman is the only candidate on this list to have won a senior international title.
The 54-year-old led the Lionesses to European Championship glory in 2022, becoming the first England manager since 1966 to win a major trophy.
She is loved by the FA, so much so that officials were said to be willing to consider appointing her as Southgate’s successor.
However, in January she committed her future to the Lionesses.
Wiegman signed a new deal that will keep her with the England Women’s team until 2027, so the chances of her switching sides are fairly low.
Lee Carsley
Carsley is another top candidate to replace Southgate as England manager.
The 50-year-old has been in charge of England’s Under-21s for the last three years, so he has developed a close relationship with the likes of Levi Colwill, Jarrad Branthwaite and Cole Palmer.
He also guided the Young Lions to glory at the U21s European Championship last summer.
Southgate was head coach of England’s U21’s before taking over the senior squad back in 2016, so Carsley could follow in his footsteps.
Steven Gerrard
The FA could decide to put a former England captain in charge of the senior squad if Southgate leaves.
If so, Gerrard could be the man.
The Liverpool legend made his managerial debut with Rangers in 2018 and led the club to a record-breaking Scottish Premiership title three years later.
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He then joined Aston Villa but was sacked after just one year.
Gerrard is now in charge of Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
