England manager Gareth Southgate has decided to stay on and lead the campaign for the 2024 European Championship, the Football Association (FA) said on Sunday.

The popular 52-year-old led the Three Lions to the World Cup quarter-finals in Qatar, where they were knocked out by France.

Southgate, whose three-year contract ends in 2024, had said he was “conflicted” about his role and was giving it some thought.

“We are delighted to confirm that Gareth Southgate is continuing as England manager, and will lead our Euro 2024 campaign,” FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said in a statement.

“Gareth and (assistant manager) Steve Holland have always had our full support, and our planning for the Euros starts now.”

Southgate, who previously coached England’s Under-21s, was appointed manager in 2016 after Sam Allardyce’s sacking.

His tenure began during a difficult period for England, coming in the aftermath of their shock Euro 2016 exit at the hands of Iceland.

Over the next two years, the former England international was able to engineer a turnaround in fortunes for the team, leading them to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals before their run to the European Championship final in 2021.

However, the last few months have been less successful for Southgate, with England being relegated to the second tier of the Nations League earlier in 2022 following a six-match winless run and five games without a goal from open play.

Some adverse fan reaction then had upset him and his players, though they were widely praised for their World Cup campaign, performing impressively and losing narrowly 2-1 to France with a missed penalty by captain Harry Kane. REUTERS