GORDON Strachan last night endorsed England’s appointment of Gareth Southgate as their caretaker manager following the shock resignation of Sam Allardyce.
The Scotland manager was reluctant to become embroiled in the Allardyce controversy as he announced his squad for the Russia 2018 qualifiers against Lithuania and Slovakia yesterday.
The former Newcastle United, West Ham and Sunderland manager left his post on Tuesday after just 67 days and one game in charge following a sting by a national newspaper.
Strachan declined to comment on the fate of the 61-year-old, who was filmed telling undercover reporters posing as businessmen how to get around FA rules on third-party player ownership, at Hampden.
However, he spoke in glowing terms about Southgate, the England Under-21 manager who has taken over on a temporary basis for the next four games and who will be in the dugout for the World Cup qualifier against Scotland at Wembley in November.
“I know Gareth really well,” said Strachan. “I took Gareth’s job at Middlesbrough alt-hough we have actually got on great since then as we worked together at ITV. We have had spells of two or three weeks together in hotels, talking football.
“He’s a great lad, absolutely great lad. It’s good to be in his company. He knows a bit about the game. When he’s talking about the game he comes over well. I don’t know if he wants to do the job on a permanent basis.
“I was actually with him last Saturday at the Fulham-Bristol City game. He wouldn’t have seen what was coming. We were talking about young players at Fulham. He was down to see a 16-year-old left back and came all the way down from Harrogate to see him. It was a long journey to see a 16-year-old, so well done.
“I couldn’t tell you how Gareth has developed in the last couple of years. Gareth has done the under-21s in the last couple of years. He has got patience, Gareth. He is quite willing to go away and learn. I really do wish him the best of luck for his four games – apart from our one, that’s for sure.”
Strachan declined to speculate how losing a manager after just one match of their Russia 2018 qualifying campaign would affect England, but he stressed that Southgate would have a high calibre of player to choose from.
“There are players in that squad that so many coaches around the world would want and there are so many coaches who would want to take that group of players,” he said.
“They are highly rated and they are playing in the so-called best league in the world, the most exciting league world and most of them are playing Champions League level. So they look a good bunch to manage that’s for sure. But I’m more than happy to meet up with our guys and get on with it.”
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