Jamie Carragher believes that England manager Gareth Southgate should walk away from the job after World Cup 2022, stating that he has earned the right to decide his own fate at the end of the tournament, regardless of the outcome in Qatar.
In a new episode of The Eleven, produced by SportBible and Sky Bet, former England internationals Jamie Carragher and Alan Shearer discuss who should start for England in their opening Group B game against Iran, as well as the job Southgate has done in his six years in charge.
Carragher suggested Southgate has earned the right to call time on his managerial career with England when he wants, and doesn't understand the criticism he has faced in recent months, despite England being relegated from the Nations League top tier.
"I think he'll decide when he leaves England," Carragher said. "And I think that's the right decision for him because of his success and where he's taken this England team. He's earned it.
"I don't go along with all the crap about that sometimes he's negative or the criticism. If you look at a lot of European countries leading up to this World Cup, a lot of them are struggling. There has to be a reason for that. England are one of them.
"So, a quarter-final for me, and then he's got England to a quarter-final, a semi-final and a final. I mean, look at where we were before that. We were garbage before that. So he's got us to that final, to that semi-final. I think it should be his decision when he chooses to leave England, not the other way around."
While the defender-turned-pundit is positive about how well Southgate has done, he also reckons the conclusion of the tournament represents the right time for him to walk away.
After all, it will have been Southgate's third major international tournament as England boss, and Carragher believes he still doesn't get the credit he deserves.
"If I was Gareth Southgate, and no matter what happened in this tournament, I would walk away," Carragher explained.
"There's sort of the feeling, whether it's the supporters, the media, they just start to turn on the manager. And I think it's been completely bang out of order, the reaction that we've seen in the last 12 months. What the England manager has done now, Gareth Southgate, puts him right up there, probably just behind Sir Alf Ramsey in what he's done.
"You think of other managers who've done really well, Bobby Robson got to a semi-final, Terry Venables - but Southgate has done it twice in two tournaments; a semi-final and final, so he's done a brilliant job. But I think if England don't get to a semi-final, I think there'll be a lot of negativity around the England manager, the England team, and I don't agree with that.
He added: "I think it'd be best for all if Gareth moved on after the tournament, because I think he just get this tournament out of the way, he doesn't need that negativity, really, because he's done an absolutely fantastic job."
