Southgate ‘to reject’ Everton for Man Utd ‘wait’ with Ten Hag ‘on the brink’ of the sack

Joe Williams
Man Utd-linked Gareth Southgate
Gareth Southgate has been linked with Everton and Man Utd.

Former England boss Gareth Southgate will wait to land the Man Utd job over a move to Everton or anywhere else, according to reports.

Everton have made a poor start to the new season with Sean Dyche’s side taking just one point from their opening five Premier League matches, while also losing to Southampton in the League Cup on penalties.

And that has seen Dyche come under pressure with speculation building that he could be close to the sack with rumours that other managers could take over.

Former Chelsea and Brighton boss Graham Potter has been linked, while David Moyes – who spent over a decade at Everton previously – could reportedly be considered for a return.

And ex-England manager Southgate is the latest name to emerge as a potential candidate to replace Dyche if Everton decide to part company with the former Burnley man.

However, with Man Utd boss Erik ten Hag also under some early pressure over his job, GiveMeSport claims Southgate is ‘prepared to wait’ for a shot at the Red Devils job over jumping in at Everton.

Southgate is ‘prepared to reject other offers and hold out for the Manchester United job if it becomes clear that Erik ten Hag is in danger of being sacked in the coming months’.

There were reports on Tuesday which claimed that Ten Hag is ‘on the brink of dismissal’ at Man Utd with interest in Inter Milan head coach Simone Inzaghi gaining traction.

GiveMeSport add that Southgate ‘remains intrigued by the possibility of being installed as ten Hag’s successor if the Dutch tactician is sacked’ by Man Utd.

That is ‘having an impact on the levels of interest he has in potentially replacing Sean Dyche at domestic rivals Everton’. The report continues:

‘Although Everton are understood to be admirers of Southgate, as reported by GIVEMESPORT on Monday, other sources have also been informed that their managerial target would prefer to wait for the opportunity to move into the Manchester United hot-seat rather than to Goodison Park if ten Hag is not looking safe in his position and there is an increasing possibility of him being ousted.’

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Despite leading England to their first World Cup semi-final since 1990 and back-to-back European Championship finals, Southgate has been criticised by some supporters for not getting the most out of a talented squad.

But Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has launched a passionate defence of the former Middlesbrough manager and insisted being England manager is a thankless task.

Hasselbaink told Genting Casino: “I don’t think there can be an argument made to say that Gareth Southgate didn’t do a fantastic job managing England. He brought everyone together and was completely responsible for generating a brilliant mood in the England camp between the players. The atmosphere, the camaraderie, the togetherness, you have to give credit to the manager for that.

“I think the England job is a thankless task. Look at what Gareth Southgate achieved in the time he was managing England. When he took over, where were they? They were going nowhere. He took over and made an instant impact.

“Now, when people think of England at a major tournament, they are always one of the favourites and Gareth is responsible for changing that narrative because of what he’s achieved with the team.

“He got to the semi-final of the 2018 World Cup. In 2022, it was the quarter-final and England lost against France on the finest of margins. England were so unlucky in that game.

“He guided the team to back-to-back European Championship finals. Again, that’s a massive achievement. I don’t think a lot of England fans understood the size of the achievement and also the fact that Gareth took England to its first final on foreign soil. England had never played a final outside of its own country before. They’ve never won anything anywhere other than Wembley in 1966.

“Whatever people will say, Gareth made history with England, and he put the team back on the map. Yes, I hear the criticism about the team’s fluency, but you know what, we got England to within 90 minutes of becoming a European Champion.”