Southgate: I'll stay out of the way during World Cup to avoid hindering team

Former England manager Sir Gareth Southgate has revealed he turned down an opportunity to work as a pundit during the upcoming World Cup, believing it would not be helpful to the team's chances.

Southgate resigned from his position after England's defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final. The 55-year-old led England for 102 games over eight years, guiding them to the finals of two European Championships and the 2018 World Cup semi-final.

"It's obviously a very different tournament for me this one," Southgate said in an Instagram post. "I've been at the last seven World Cups as a player, as a broadcaster, a scout and then as the manager. So this time I took a conscious decision not to do the TV. I didn't think it would be helpful for me to be talking about the team and I don't want anything to be misconstrued or thrown at them at press conferences, so best for me to keep out of the way."

England's World Cup campaign begins on Wednesday (21:00 BST) when they face Croatia in Arlington, Texas. They then have matches against Ghana on Tuesday, 23 June (21:00 BST) and Panama on Saturday, 27 June (22:00 BST).

Southgate believes England are "ready to win" a World Cup. "Good luck to all the boys," he said. "They have overcome so many hurdles - penalty shootouts, semi-finals, got so close - and they are ready to win."

Earlier this week, England midfielder Jude Bellingham said "expectation" played a part in the team's failure to connect "as well as it could" and that players "needed to feel loved" this summer. Reflectiing on Euro 2024, Bellingham said: "We were not playing particularly well so even when we were winning you didn't get the feeling you were as happy as you should be."

In a new BBC documentary, Southgate addresses the crisis he feels boys and young men are facing, exploring what shapes the attitudes and outlook of this generation.