Southgate shuts the door on Manchester United and poses five questions about the City case
The English manager admits he has lost his passion for football
Sir Gareth Southgate has ruled out a return to Premier League management, admitting he lost his enjoyment of football during the final period of his spell with the Three Lions and is now relishing new experiences away from the pitch.
The 56-year-old has not managed a team since leaving the England job following defeat to Spain in the final of Euro 2024.
At club level, his coaching CV amounts to three years at Middlesbrough, a spell that ended in 2009 with relegation from the Premier League.
Even so, Southgate's name has lingered on the list of candidates for the Manchester United job, particularly during the closing days of Erik ten Hag's reign.
With pressure now building around Michael Carrick, a change in the Old Trafford dugout could easily see the former England boss mentioned again.
Southgate, though, has settled the question himself. Speaking on "The Amol Rajan Connection" podcast, he said: "I don't see a scenario where that could happen."
Southgate: I no longer enjoyed the wins
Eight years in charge of England brought him the Euro 2020 final, played in 2021, and the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup, before that defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final closed the chapter.
His passion drained away towards the end, and even victories stopped delivering the feeling he had grown used to.
As reported by "The Sun", Southgate said: "At the end of my time with England, I stopped enjoying it, at least for a period of time, and the wins were what kept me going."
He added: "By the end, I no longer enjoyed the wins for more than two minutes. So I barely watched any football matches."
One match did pull him back: the 2025 FA Cup final, where he watched his beloved Crystal Palace lift the first trophy in their history. He hasn't set foot in a stadium since.
He continued: "I went to the FA Cup final to watch my team, Crystal Palace, win their first trophy. And since then, I haven't been to any football stadium. My desire to be involved in the world of football has changed."
New experiences away from the pitch
Different paths have opened up since he left England. Southgate has presented a BBC documentary on the challenges facing young men and boys in the UK, and he has worked as a visiting lecturer at Harvard Business School in the United States.
He is delighted with how life has shifted, taking on fresh experiences without the weight of weekend results hanging over him.
He said: "I've enjoyed the last 18 months of my life. I spent 37 years in which my sense of self depended on whether I won or lost on a Saturday."
He went on: "I've really enjoyed having different experiences. I've met politicians and people from the media sector, I've learned about leadership in various fields, and I've travelled around the world to gain knowledge. I've simply enjoyed living a different chapter of my life."
Southgate comments on the Manchester City case
Southgate also turned to Manchester City's alleged breaches of the Premier League's financial rules, arguing the case offers football nothing of value whatever the outcome.
An independent commission found the majority of the charges relating to alleged breaches between the 2009-2010 and 2017-2018 seasons proven. City deny any wrongdoing and have appealed.
Southgate said: "There will be a reaction from the tribal supporters who want Manchester City punished as much as possible, whether by relegating them to a lower division or fining them or taking any other measure."
He added: "I've worked inside football club boardrooms, and I've taken part in meetings with the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), and I've been present in all of those environments, so I know how complex these matters are."
He continued: "The basic idea for me is that everything that is happening is not good for football, and there is no winner in this case. The Premier League may feel, for a very brief moment, that its position has been vindicated after all the criticism it faced over the length of the case, and that the ruling explains why it took all this time."
He went on: "But then comes the realisation of the scale of what awaits everyone: how will we deal with all these developments? And what is the likelihood of further legal cases emerging? And how long might the matter take? And what is the appropriate punishment? And how can the stability of the whole game be preserved?"
His verdict was blunt: "These are extremely complex matters."
