Gareth Southgate safe in his job regardless of England's performance at Euro 2020

England manager Gareth Southgate is expected to be secure in his job no matter how the Three Lions perform at Euro 2020 this summer and is unlikely to be sacked even if his team flops hard and exits the tournament disappointingly early.

England are among the early favourites to win Euro 2020 and are further boosted by the fact that may only have to play one game away from Wembley – and a maximum of two – if they were to get all the way to the final, largely giving it the feel of a home tournament.

Southgate took England to the semi-finals of the last World Cup, his first summer tournament in charge, and later guided the team to the 2019 UEFA Nations League finals.

England could be in for a tough route through the Euro 2020 knockout stages because winning Group D means facing either France, Portugal or Germany in the last 16, but failing to at least get to another semi-final would likely be perceived by fans as a step backwards.

However, the Daily Telegraph writes that Southgate has delighted the FA with the work he has done so far and the general progress he has overseen since being appointed in 2016 and is in no danger of losing his job, even if Euro 2020 becomes an unexpected disaster for England.

Whether he would choose to walk away of his own accord in that scenario is another matter, but there wouldn’t be pressure from his bosses within the FA hierarchy.

Southgate’s current contract as England boss still covers the next tournament cycle after this one and runs until December 2022 after the World Cup in Qatar.

“Of course, my players and I will be judged on winning matches. Only one team can win the Euros. We have never done it before and we are desperate to do it for the first time. Believe me,” he said in an open letter to the nation with The Players’ Tribune.

“But, the reality is that the result is just a small part of it. When England play, there's much more at stake than that. It’s about how we conduct ourselves on and off the pitch, how we bring people together, how we inspire and unite, how we create memories that last beyond the 90 minutes. That last beyond the summer. That last forever.”

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