Gareth Southgate may not want to discuss his future, but everyone else does. The England manager will this week attempt to keep the focus on his side's friendly matches with Brazil and Belgium amid their final preparations for Euro 2024, but attention on what he will do next is only going to grow.
Southgate has not committed to England beyond the summer in a bid to "remove pressure" from his players as they try to win a first major trophy in 58 years, but the uncertainty has inevitably raised questions about whether he is eyeing up another job. And, national-team manager aside, there is no greater job in English football than taking charge of Manchester United.
In the last few days, Southgate has become the favourite to become the next manager of United following a report that new minority shareholder Sir Jim Ratcliffe is confident of luring the England boss to Old Trafford. Ratcliffe and his INEOS colleagues are reportedly still not convinced that Erik ten Hag is the right man to lead the project forward, even after the stunning 4-3 win over Liverpool to reach the FA Cup semi-finals.
A fair few United fans might agree with that assessment given the team are sixth in the Premier League and have lost 16 matches this season. Not many, however, will be setting off fireworks if Southgate is indeed announced as Ten Hag's eventual successor.
But if you take a step back and consider everything Southgate has achieved with England after inheriting the national team when it was at its lowest ebb, there are plenty of reasons why he is the ideal manager to give the flailing Red Devils a reboot.
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