Manchester United have reportedly come to a decision on whether to pursue the services of England manager Gareth Southgate after Euro 2024.
The former Middlesbrough manager is understood to have been a leading target to replace Erik ten Hag, whose future has been hanging in the balance for a number of months now.
Reports prior to the FA Cup final claimed that Ten Hag would be sacked no matter what happened at Wembley, but he remains in his post a couple of weeks on from that shock 2-1 success over Manchester City.
Ten Hag is expected to learn in the coming days whether he has been given the boot by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, whose team have already been dealt a number of blows in their pursuit of a new first-team head coach.
Ipswich Town's Kieran McKenna snubbed interest from the Red Devils to extend his Tractor Boys contract, while ex-Chelsea bosses Mauricio Pochettino and Thomas Tuchel are no longer in the running either.
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Man United 'end interest in Gareth Southgate'
According to The Mirror, the Red Devils have also moved on from Southgate, as their 'timeline' did not align with the England manager's and the FA's, who still want to extend his contract.
The 53-year-old could leave his current post at the end of the calendar year, and he recently made a bombshell admission over his future, telling German outlet Bild that he will likely leave if he fails to lead England to Euro 2024 glory.
"If we don't win, I probably won't be here anymore, So maybe it is the last chance. I think around half the national coaches leave after a tournament – that's the nature of international football," Southgate said.
"I've been here almost eight years now and we've come close. You can't constantly put yourself in front of the public and say, 'A little more please,' as at some point people lose faith. If we want to be a great team and I want to be a top coach, you must deliver in big moments."
Despite Southgate's striking admission, the FA are supposedly keen to extend their partnership and want the former Middlesbrough head coach to lead the Three Lions into the 2026 World Cup.
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Furthermore, the governing body have supposedly not made any approaches to any potential successors, which include Tuchel and Pochettino as well as Graham Potter and Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe.
What next for Man United after Southgate decision?
From a lengthy list of potential Ten Hag successors, Man United's options have slowly been whittled down, and their decision to remove Southgate from their radar only complicates their already complicated situation further.
Of course, there is still the distinct possibility that Ratcliffe could persist with Ten Hag, who has won two trophies in two seasons with the Red Devils and has always been bullish about his chances of seeing out the final year of his deal.
However, there are still a couple of prominent names on Man United's wishlist, including Borussia Dortmund's Edin Terzic, whose future with the Champions League runners-up is also shrouded in uncertainty.
Brentford's Thomas Frank also has admirers within the Theatre of Dreams, and ex-Barcelona boss Xavi is allegedly eyeing a job in England after his farcical sacking from the Blaugrana.
Ben Knapton
