City flag of Brighton & Hove with white seagull on blue ground flying at Hove Lawns Seafront, Brighton, East Sussex.
Gareth Southgate has stood down as England manager, saying it is time for a “new chapter” for the national team.Former England striker and broadcaster Gary Lineker – who reached the semi-finals of the 1990 World Cup – feels Southgate helped bring togetherness back to the national team set-up.
“Wishing Gareth Southgate all the very best in the future. He brought pride, respect and a togetherness to England that we hadn’t seen for a long time,” Lineker said on X.
“He was close, very close to footballing immortality and he always did the job with humility, decency and dignity. Thank you, Gareth.”
England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford said the defeat to Spain in Sunday’s Euro 2024 final would “hurt for a while” and also paid tribute to Southgate.
The Everton number one wrote on Instagram: “I also want to say a special thank you to the boss for always believing in me during his time with us and I would like to wish him all the best in his next steps. Thank you Gareth.”
Former Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher described Southgate’s time as manager as a “great ride”.
