Gareth Southgate knew he would leave the England job before the end of Euro 2024 | Gareth Southgate

Gareth Southgate has revealed that he has decided to step down as England manager before the end of Euro 2024. Southgate said in the immediate aftermath of England’s 2-1 final defeat to Spain in July that he would “talk to the right people” about his future.

The 54-year-old eventually pulled out two days after the Berlin final, but appearing on BBC Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs, he said he knew it was time to move on. Southgate chose the Adele hit Someone Like You as one of the eight songs he would take with him if he were cast away on a desert island, explaining that he had the track on repeat during the tournament in Germany because “I knew I had to go” .

The song, which appears on Adele’s 2011 album 21, is written from the perspective of a woman addressing her former partner. He said: “There were so many of the words in it that even if I hear it today it relates to my relationship with England. They have to move on and you wish them the best and there are regrets but there were actual memories that were made.”

Southgate – who led England to two European Championship finals and a World Cup semi-final during his eight-year stint between 2016 and 2024 – hinted again that his next job could be away from football.

He said in November that he was not limiting his future options to football management and was “considering a change of direction”. “When you’re a coach and you’ve had one of the biggest jobs, how do you follow it up?” Southgate told presenter Lauren Laverne during the Desert Island Discs episode released on Sunday.

In addition to his eight chosen tracks, Southgate was allowed to choose a book and a luxury item for a desert island. He chose a coffee machine as his luxury item and said he had become a “coffee snob” recently, with his book of choice being The Chimp Paradox by psychiatry professor Steve Peters.