"I don't see a scenario where I do that," Gareth Southgate told express.co.uk when asked about a return to elite management. That cuts across the idea that he is waiting in the wings for Manchester United, who are under fresh scrutiny after Tottenham grabbed an injury-time equaliser at Old Trafford and Michael Carrick's situation became more exposed.
Southgate's own words on a return
Southgate said he has not been to a football ground since the 2025 Champions League final and the FA Cup final. He also said he stopped enjoying the England job, and that he is not interested in just being a manager for the salary.
The former England boss added that he has given a lot of his life to football and now fancies a different period of his life. United's owners, INEOS, are said to admire him, so the link has not come from nowhere. But the timing of those comments leaves little room for any easy assumption that he is ready to step into Carrick's job.
Carrick's pressure points
The criticism around United is not only about the result against Spurs. Chris Wheeler wrote that Lisandro Martínez is typical of the senior players at United who are failing Carrick this season after helping get him the job in the first place.
That is a hard line to ignore when Martínez's league rating sits at 6.69 and he has started five league games this season. He has been better in Europe, with a 7.32 Champions League rating, but the league form is where the heat sits right now.
United sit 13th in the 2025-26 Premier League with 6 points from 6 matches, and their recent league run reads one win in five. United travel to Atletico Madrid and Leeds this week.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →
