Gareth Southgate has revealed his stance on a potential Premier League return after he has been linked with the Manchester United job following his England exit
16:16, 28 Feb 2026
View 2 Images
Gareth Southgate has opened up on his stance of a managerial return to the Premier League - after the former England boss was linked with the Manchester United job.
Southgate has been out of work since he left the England hot seat after their Euro 2024 final loss to Spain. However, he has been hotly linked with a return, particularly to Old Trafford.
The former Middlesbrough boss has admitted to the The Football Boardroom Podcast, the 55-year-old said he's "not actively looking for” a new role in coaching and any fresh appointment would come with “baggage".
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 18: Former England men's football team manager, Gareth Southgate attends The Future Workforce Summit, hosted by The Royal Foundation Business Taskforce for Early Childhood, on November 18, 2025 in London, England. The Summit is set to bring together the UK's most influential business leaders in the hope of driving further action and investment in the early years. (Photo by Adrian Dennis - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
View 2 Images
Gareth Southgate has been looking for work since 2024(Image: Adrian Dennis - WPA Pool/Getty Images)
JOIN US ON FB! Get all the best sports news and much more on our Facebook page
He explained: “I’ve got no passion to just go and manage in the Premier League. I did that at 35, I finished 11th, 12th. Who is in those positions now, probably Bournemouth, Brighton?
“So I don’t feel the need to just go and do it to say I’ve managed in the Premier League. I’ve had one of the biggest jobs in world football so I’ve been spoiled. Huge nights, working with outstanding players. No owner interfering.
“The bit that, externally, people are saying is, ‘well, he didn’t win’. So how do you prove that you can win? You’ve got to one of those big clubs.
Ensure our latest sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source.Click here to activate or add us as a Preferred Source in your Google search settings
“Now we know those big clubs… do I think I could have done the job that some people who have been in those clubs recently have done? Could I do better? I think I could.
“But we’ve talked about the baggage that comes with me as an appointment if you’re an owner.
“And there’s a reality around (that), I can understand what that noise is. There’s that bit which makes me potentially a complicated appointment for a club.”
Article continues below
He also admitted he needed a break after his eight years as Three Lions chief which “consumed everything”. He added: “I don’t want to go and manage a different national team. Club? It’s honestly not what I’m looking to do.
“Now, two years after leaving England, I’m not actively looking for a role in coaching. If that European final was the bit (in coaching) I wouldn’t worry about that.
“Because there is another 15-20 years of my life ahead of me and I’m excited about a different video, a different movie, a different part of my life.”