Gareth Southgate has said he will not return to coaching in the next year, seemingly ruling himself out of the running to replace Erik ten Hag as Manchester United manager.
Ten Hag has not been sacked but his position is tenuous, with club directors giving him two more games to save his job.
However it is widely predicted that he will lose his role in the near future and i reported earlier this month Southgate was the leading choice to replace him among the club’s powerbrokers.
Speaking at a European Club Association event in Athens, Southgate said: “I won’t coach in the next year, for sure. I’m certain of that.
“I need to give myself time to make good decisions. When you come out of a really big role you need to give your body time, you need to give your mind time.
“I’m fortunate there are lots of different opportunities that are presenting themselves. I’m enjoying my life. So there’s no rush.”
Southgate left the England job in July after guiding the men’s side to their second successive European Championship final, losing 2-1 to Spain.
He has not had a club job since leaving Middlesbrough in 2009, but senior figures at Manchester United were attracted by the work he’d done overhauling the culture of England’s men’s set-up.
This will only leave further confusion about United’s future, with Thomas Tuchel now the likely frontrunner for the job if Ten Hag is to be sacked.
United are now five matches without a win, having failed to score in three of those.
Ten Hag’s job was under threat before the recent draws against Porto and Aston Villa, but not losing these games appears to have provided a stay of execution.
United sit 14th in the Premier League after seven matches, beating their previous worst-ever start to a season, which also came under Ten Hag.
They have scored just five goals, joint-second fewest in the top flight, and their crucial upcoming matches are against Brentford and Fenerbahce.
The latter, a visit to the side managed by former United boss Jose Mourinho, may well be considered a final indignity for Ten Hag if it ends in defeat.
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