Liverpool star hopes FA make decision soon
Liverpool and England star Adam Lallana has revealed he wants Gareth Southgate to get the England manager job on a permanent basis.
Lallana, who is in the squad for the side’s clashes with Scotland and Spain this week, has given his thoughts on the process of replacing Sam Allardyce, who was sacked just 67 days into his England managerial reign after a journalism sting landed him in hot water.
He missed Southgate’s first two games with a groin injury, but is fit for the upcoming fixtures. He has now established himself as a key player for Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, and is now looking to do the same in the national set up.
Lallana said: “It would be nice for Gareth, and for us, quite soon to know whether he’s going to get the job on a permanent basis so you can build towards having a certain identity that your manager wants you to have.
“That’s what a manager is there for. I’m sure over the next few days the manager will be telling us what he wants for the Scotland and Spain games. Eventually it would be nice for him in the longer term to put a structure in place.
“You need stability. What you don’t have at England is the time that you get at club level. You can’t prepare for a campaign as you would for a league over the course of the season – it’s not possible, so it’s a different challenge. I’m sure Gareth will want to have that and we are ready to fight for him in the matches. I think everyone is keen for the situation to be resolved, even Gareth himself probably. We are looking forward to doing well for him and fighting for him over the next two games. Hopefully he will do well enough to get the job on a permanent basis.”
The FA will begin the process of appointing a new manager after the next games, and it appears only heavy defeats against Spain and Scotland would stop Southgate being offered the job.
Whether he wants to accept it is a different story.
By Ben Kelly – @benkelly_10
