First major candidate to replace Gareth Southgate as England manager ruled out of the running

A major candidate who had been tipped to replace Gareth Southgate as England manager has been ruled out of the running.

On Tuesday Southgate resigned as England manager just days after losing the European Championship final 2-1 to Spain.

Southgate, whose contract was set to expire later this year, managed the Three Lions for 102 games in eight years.

Upon his resignation, he said: “As a proud Englishman, it has been the honour of my life to play for England and to manage England.

“It has meant everything to me, and I have given it my all. But it’s time for change and for a new chapter.”

The likes of Graham Potter, Eddie Howe and even Jurgen Klopp have been tipped to replace Southgate at the England helm.

But, according to the Telegraph, the latter will not be available to replace Southgate in time for the start of World Cup qualifying.

Indeed, Klopp reportedly has no intention of returning to top-level management for another 12 months, having left Liverpool this summer after nine years.

The German announced when he left Anfield he would be taking at least a year off and would not join a club or a national federation during that time.

Jurgen Klopp is set to have at least a year away from top level management (Getty)

And though there has been a clammer for Klopp to replace Southgate, the Telegraph has alleged that the 57-year-old’s position is unchanged and there is no prospect of him performing a U-turn.

Klopp will be ready to return to management from July 2025, as per reports, which would mean the FA would have to begin their World Cup qualification with a caretaker or interim manager before they could even entertain the idea of the ex-Liverpool boss taking over ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

Even then there would reportedly be no guarantees Klopp would even take the job, with his main focus at present being on his sabbatical.