England boss Gareth Southgate ‘will sit down with FA bosses in January’

The Football Association ‘will meet Gareth Southgate in January’ to see if the England manager wants to continue in his role.

A “full debriefing” of England’s run to the World Cup quarter-finals is being held with the FA in hopes a relaxed Christmas and New Year’s celebration with the Southgate family will persuade Southgate to go ahead.

Southgate, 52, has been in charge since 2016 and has a contract until Euro 2024 but is pondering his future after England’s heartbreaking departure to France.

Gareth Southgate will meet with FA bosses for a “World Cup debrief” in early January and decide whether to stay in his job

Southgate comforts Harry Kane after his agonizing miss against France last weekend

The Times report that the FA plan to meet with Southgate in early January and hope his “energy” will be replenished enough to continue as England boss.

As Sportsmail has reported, with the Euro 2024 qualifying campaign starting at the end of March, the FA will need a fairly quick response from Southgate.

The Three Lions face a tricky opener in Naples, Italy, and then play Ukraine at home, ideally with a Southgate replacement in place by then.

Following England’s defeat by France last Saturday, which saw Harry Kane miss a late penalty, Southgate said he would be taking time to reflect on his future in the job.

England boss Gareth Southgate is being asked by the FA to make a quick decision on his future

The World Cup in Qatar was the third major tournament Southgate has led England in, after a run to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals and Euro 2020 final.

Although defeat by France in the last eight marks a step backwards from the last two tournaments, the manner in which England performed offered encouragement.

However, the manner of the defeat will certainly take an emotional toll on Southgate and his players.

Some England fans had turned on Southgate after poor performances in their UEFA Nations League season that year, leading to the embarrassment of relegation from the top tier of the competition and no wins in six games.

England lost 2-1 to France in the quarter-finals last Saturday after showing a good performance in the game

However, World Cup performances have restored pride as England prepare for another tournament cycle of home and away qualifiers next year against Italy, Ukraine, Malta and North Macedonia.

Southgate waited four months to re-sign after last year’s Euro 2020 final defeat by Italy and signed a two-year contract extension last November.

But time will be of the essence this time around, with Southgate aware the FA won’t be let down with just two months to go before EURO qualifiers begin.

The FA have no succession plans and a lack of credible English candidates, with Eddie Howe and Graham Potter (pictured) signed to Newcastle and Chelsea respectively

The two leading English candidates to replace Southgate should he step down are Graham Potter and Eddie Howe, but they work at Chelsea and Newcastle United respectively.

The FA is open to foreign candidates with Mauricio Pochettino and Thomas Tuchel two names under.