Sven-Goran Eriksson reveals he is 'glad Gareth Southgate left on his own terms'

Sven-Goran Eriksson has said he is glad Gareth Southgate was able to leave England on his own terms after 'he was not able to himself'.

The former Three Lions coach praised Southgate for 'setting the bar very high' and said the FA have a 'huge job on their hands to replace him'.

Discussing whether or not the next manager should be English, he said in the Telegraph: 'For me, it should not matter. The most important thing is to find the right man who can not only take the team to a final, but also go the full distance.

'If he is English, or foreign, I don’t think it should mean much. You just have to find a top manager, or a young one with a good future.'

A number of candidates have been linked with the England job so far, including Eddie Howe, Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Jurgen Klopp. However, it is understood that Tuchel and Klopp are not realistic prospects at this stage.

Eriksson, who spent five years in charge of England between 2001 and 2006, went on to describe his exit from the head coach position.

He added: 'I was sacked in 2006 and left after the World Cup that year, but I left for other reasons. It had nothing to do with football. 

'There was the "fake sheikh" sting with the News of the World. It was a trap. There was also a fascination with my private life and the women I was with at different times. I was sacked because of that and the "sheikh".'

'We should have done better than the quarter-final at the 2006 World Cup but I would have preferred to be sacked for losing to Portugal on penalties.'

On Thursday it was revealed that former German national team coach Joachim Low is reportedly interested in the vacant England role.

Low, 64, led his country to World Cup glory in Brazil in 2014 and was in charge of the team for 15 years.

He is said to be happy to talk to the FA following the resignation of Gareth Southgate, according to The Sun.

It came after it was revealed Ange Postecoglou is reportedly on the list of candidates the FA are considering for the next England manager.

Low’s last game before stepping down as German boss was the 2-0 defeat to Southgate’s England at Wembley in the last 16 at Euro 2020. The former Stuttgart and Fenerbahce manager has not worked since.

England's Under 21s head coach Lee Carsley is also reportedly in pole position to succeed Gareth Southgate as interim manager.

The former Everton player is highly likely to lead the Three Lions in their next international match against the Republic of Ireland in less than eight weeks' time, according to The Sun.

The FA are expected to mirror the appointment of Southgate in 2016, who was promoted from Under 21s boss to England manager - also on an interim basis initially.

FA bosses have confirmed that they are looking at appointing a new manager, but they feel Carsley, 50, is best placed to take over for England's next match.