Southgate has made England job look appealing once again

Squad in a good state for new coach, with gifted youngsters capable of driving the team forward

- Dan Kilpatrick

GARETH SOUTHGATE was always conscious of not allowing his England squad to go stale by reaching, as he put it, “the end of a cycle”.

Southgate, who stepped down as England manager yesterday, blooded young players as soon as he felt they were ready and, in spite of his reputation for undue loyalty, was often prepared to be ruthless with older, established stars — most recently Jordan Henderson.

The result is a squad which should need minor tweaks, rather than major surgery, under Southgate’s successor when they begin planning for the 2026 World Cup and a home European Championship in 2028.

“The squad we took to Germany is full of exciting young talent and they can win the trophy we all dream of,” Southgate said in his leaving statement.

Half of England’s squad players at this summer’s Euros — 13 of the 26 — were at their first major tournament, and the average age of the group was just over 26.

By including Kobbie Mainoo, Adam Wharton, Anthony Gordon, Cole Palmer and Eberechi Eze, Southgate effectively kicked off a fresh cycle before stepping down, leaving his successor with a new group of youngsters who have either played in massive games already or experienced being part of a tournament squad.

Add in James Trafford, Jarrad Branthwaite, Jarell Quansah and Curtis Jones, who were cut from the provisional training squad, as well as a host of exciting youngsters in the development groups, and there should be no concerns about the next generation.