Gary Neville has expressed sympathy for Gareth Southgate after England lost 2-1 to Spain in the final of Euro 2024 on Sunday night.
The Three Lions were outplayed during the contest at the Olympiastadion in Berlin, with goals from Nico Williams and Mikel Oyarzabal winning the trophy for Luis de la Fuente's team.
Southgate's future as England manager is now uncertain, with the 53-year-old losing both of his finals in charge of the side.
He indicated in the aftermath of the defeat that he would 'speak to the right people' before deciding on whether to stay or leave.
Euro 2024 final: Gary Neville has expressed sympathy for Gareth Southgate following England's defeat to Spain on Sunday night
ITV/PA
Neville has praised Southgate for everything he's achieved in the job following his appointment back in 2016.
And the England legend can see Southgate taking some time before making a final call.
"It's a big question, something doesn't sit right inside me talking about Gareth's future right now after what he's done in the last seven or eight years," he said on ITV.
"I would think he'll take a long, hard look in the next week and decide whether it's the right time.
"The sentiment in this tournament has been tough for him at times, he's called it an unusual environment earlier in the competition."
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Neville did admit to concerns over Southgate, however, and whether England can go again while being managed by the 53-year-old.
"We talk about Spain, they have lost their best player [Rodri] at half-time and they have come out and performed like that in the second half without him," he said.
"And they also lost Pedri earlier in the tournament, the two best midfield players in the tournament.
"Our players are absolutely devastated and I remember four tournaments ago when they played Croatia in the World Cup semi-final I said, 'I wonder if you will be here again lads' and they have been here again and again and I have no words for them as they must be absolutely devastated.
"The fans here behind the goal are absolutely devastated, this feels like one time too many for us, it just feels like, how long can this go on for?"
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Southgate criticised his England players after the defeat, saying they didn't use the ball well enough.
Neville believes the Three Lions struggle to control football matches, despite possessing top midfielders such as Declan Rice, Kobbie Mainoo, Phil Foden and Jude Bellingham.
And he believes their inablity to keep hold of the ball 'should be the title of the England book'.
"We can focus on a lot of things, but Southgate's answer on how we did not keep the ball well enough should be the title of the England book," he vented.
"Every single England manager has said the same thing, every single England player has felt the same thing because we have lived it out there on the pitch and our legs have gone and we end up dying on our feet in the latter part of games where the other team have got stronger.
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Euro 2024 final: Gary Neville feels Gareth Southgate will take some time before deciding on whether to stay as England manager following Spain defeat
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"And it is repeat, rinse and repeat.
"These lads have done incredibly well to get to a final, they have done more than we ever did, but some of the same patterns have occurred.
"Spain had a lot of chances, they could have won the game before we equalised.
Euro 2024 final: Gary Neville was disappointed for England after their 2-1 defeat to Spain in Berlin
REUTERS
"We got back into it, but we could have been 2-0 down before that and to not control the biggest games has been a problem for England teams in many, many tournaments.
"And to have to play from behind the ball and move your whole team up the pitch from the edge of your box to the other end of the pitch is very difficult.
"You can win the odd game doing that, you can win two or three games, but eventually you play a team with too much quality and that is what we found tonight."
