Gareth Southgate Reveals Family Convinced Him To Stay As England Boss

Gareth Southgate has revealed his family convinced him to stay on as England boss when he debated his future after the World Cup

Gareth Southgate has revealed his family convinced him to stay on as England boss when he debated his future after the World Cup. Southgate was unsettled by fierce criticism of England's woeful Nations League performances prior to the World Cup in Qatar. The 52-year-old was still considering walking away following England's 2-1 defeat against France in the World Cup quarter-finals in December. But Southgate spent a week thinking over his options before it was announced he would see out a contract that runs until December 2024.

"There was negativity about me being in charge and the last thing I wanted was for that to be the over-arching feeling going into a World Cup when you need the fans and everybody behind the team," he told ITV News on Thursday.

"You need that energy; you need that sense of togetherness. And if the debate was only going to be about finding flaws in what we were doing, in order that I go at the end, then that would have been very difficult for the team to perform at their best."

Southgate said the support of his family was key to his decision to extend an England reign that started in 2016.

"They left Doha saying you've got to give this one more go and try to get this trophy," he said.