Gareth Southgate focussed solely on fulfilling England contract

Contracted to England until 2022, Gareth Southgate looks unlikely to vacate his post any time soon.

Gareth Southgate: "I'm not somebody that needs to keep this door open or that door open."

Gareth Southgate has insisted he remains committed to his role with England amid rumoured Premier League interest.

The former Middlesbrough manager was linked to Tottenham in a recent report as the problems started to pile up for incumbent Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino.

Tottenham, which completed a miserable week with a 3-0 loss to Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday, was said to be sizing up Southgate as a potential successor to Pochettino in the event of his exit.

Reports in January claimed Manchester United — then on the hunt for a permanent replacement for Jose Mourinho — had similarly shown interest in the man who guided England to a fourth-place finish at last year's World Cup. But any club keen on his services will have a tough time convincing the 49-year-old to quit the national team before Qatar 2022.

"I've said in the summer I'm not somebody that needs to keep this door open or that door open," Southgate said.

 

"I'm the England manager and it's a massive privilege to do the job. There's a lot of work to do here with the team. We think the team can continue to improve and, until I'm told otherwise, 2022 is my contract and that's it."

Southgate is preparing to lead England into a pair of Euro 2020 qualifiers against the Czech Republic and Bulgaria. The Three Lions eased to a 4-0 win over the latter last month and boast a perfect record atop Group A after four games.