Gareth Southgate seeks new ’purpose’ after leaving England role

Five months after leaving his job as England coach, Gareth Southgate is still pondering where his future lies. In a long post on social media platform LinkedIn, Southgate said he is searching for his next “purpose” in life after his time as the coach of the England men’s national team from 2016-2024 — a high-pressure role in which any comment, about football or beyond, was heavily scrutinized. “This higher purpose kept me on track, gave me structure, made my life more fulfilling and is going to be extremely difficult to replicate,” Southgate wrote on Tuesday. READ | Manchester United posts smaller first-quarter losses “It’s why I’m not limiting my future options to remaining as a football coach.” Southgate, who left the England job after losing the European Championship final in July, was linked with becoming Manchester United manager because of his connections with some members of the club’s board, but the team chose to hire Ruben Amorim after firing Erik ten Hag last month. “After eight years serving in one of the highest-profile roles in world football, I’m consciously taking time to reflect on what I lived through and thinking deeply about what comes next,” he wrote.