Gareth Southgate ponders the future as England return after ‘very painful’ loss

Southgate and his players touched down in the rain at Stansted Airport on Monday afternoon, having seen their their hopes of joining the 1966 World Cup winners in Three Lions immortality ended in the same way as the nation’s first appearance in a men’s continental final against Italy three years ago.

The 53-year-old manager led the travelling party, which had left its Ritz Carlton Hotel base in Berlin on Monday morning, off the plane and into the terminal building amid a sombre atmosphere after their heartache in the German capital on Sunday evening.

Penalties proved England’s undoing in the Euro 2020 showpiece against Italy, and this time Spain sealed a deserved 2-1 win as substitute Mikel Oyarzabal struck four minutes from time.

It was another case of so close yet so far under Southgate, who has to decide whether this fourth tournament in charge will be his last given his contract expires in December.

“Look, now’s not the time for me to discuss that, really,” Southgate told BBC Radio 5 Live after the Euro 2024 final.

“I understand the question, of course, but I think I need to speak to the right people, and we’ll go from there.

“It’s been an amazing experience to lead the team to another final, but obviously at the moment to come short as we have is very painful.”

Asked if not outstaying his welcome – something he has mentioned before – is part of that thought process, the England boss said: “Umm, there’s a lot of things that are part of it.

“There’s what’s right for the team, there’s what’s right for me. Yeah, lots of things to consider.”

Southgate expects to take his decision in days rather than weeks, much like he did when considering his future after bowing out of the 2022 World Cup at the quarter-final stage to France.

There is a keenness within the Football Association for the former defender to stay, albeit there has been a feeling in Germany that this might be the end for him.

That feeling was particularly strong as boos greeted the end of the group draws with Denmark and Slovenia, with the latter stalemate even leading some beer cups being thrown at Southgate.

It has been an emotional rollercoaster for the frequently ridiculed England boss, who enjoyed some memorable knockout highs before tasting the depths of disappointment against Spain.

“You can imagine the scene – nothing being said, really,” Southgate said of the dressing room.

“I’ve said to the players how proud I am of what they’ve done across the tournament. We fell a little bit short tonight.

“In the end, we didn’t keep the ball well enough. We actually minimised, I thought, their attacking threat, particularly in the first half, but we weren’t able to play through their counter press.

“In the end, that starts to tell because you keep giving the ball away, it’s coming back at you and late in the game you can have those moments like we did, where, in the end, I think you get punished for not having enough possession of the ball, really.”

Southgate’s decision making and England’s performance is sure to be pored over after a final when ineffective skipper Harry Kane was withdrawn in the 61st minute.

The 30-year-old’s three goals was enough to see him finish as joint top goalscorer at Euro 2024, but his fitness was a constant topic having sustained a back issue towards the end of the season.

“I mean, look, Harry’s led the team brilliantly, but we’ve had a few that are a little bit short of their physical peak, I think,” he said. “And we’ve been battling with that all tournament, really.”

Asked if that was the case with Kane and Jude Bellingham, who showed flashes without performing to his absolute best, Southgate added: “I think you could see the toll of the extra times, the intensity of a tournament.

“We know that’s what happens. We’ve used the bench well, I think, we’ve had great contributions from the squad.

“But I think you could see in a few of the games the legs were starting to go with several of the players, really.

“And ultimately if you’re having less of the ball than the opponent, which was the case (against Spain), then that’s going to tell.”

For his part, Kane admitted he and his team-mates had fallen short of their target, but insisted they were ready for the next fight.

He said in a post on his official X account: “Heartbroken we couldn’t achieve what we worked so hard to. It was a long tough tournament and I’m so proud of the boys and staff for getting to the final.

“Ultimately we fell short of our target and will have to live with that, but as we always do, we will pick ourselves up, dust ourselves down and be ready to fight again in an England shirt.

“Thank you to all the fans that believed in us and supported us to the very end!”