Gareth Southgate 'didn't tell England players he would be quitting' as FA make £4.5m decision on next boss

The likes of Eddie Howe, Graham Potter, Mauricio Pochettino and Lee Carsley are all interested in taking over - as well as Thomas Tuchel, who left Bayern Munich by mutual consent earlier this summer.

Southgate forged a close bond with his England players during his eight years in the dugout.

But the Daily Mail say the 53-year-old didn't inform his stars that he'd be resigning from his role.

Instead, Southgate kept them in the dark - with many members of the squad finding out about his exit on Tuesday, along with the rest of the world.

The FA feel their search for a replacement is in a 'good place' at the current moment in time, despite no clear favourite emerging.

The report says the governing body have decided they don't want to pay Southgate's replacement 'significantly more' than the £4.5million salary they paid the 53-year-old during his latter years in charge.

JUST IN: Jurgen Klopp 'makes decision on replacing Gareth Southgate as England manager' with five bosses keen on job

That could represent an issue, especially given the huge salaries given to managers within club football.

Howe earns roughly £6m annually at Newcastle and would need to take a pay cut in order to manage England.

It is thought, however, that the prospect of taking charge of the Three Lions, and the magnitude of such a job, could convince the 46-year-old into accepting a lesser wage.

Howe is reportedly open to discussing the role with the FA providing Newcastle are approached. It is not known if he intends on actively pursuing the post himself - but the Toon would demand 'significant compensation' in order to let him go.

READ MORE: Harry Kane 'makes international retirement decision' after crushing England defeat to Spain

The FA are supposedly wary of entering 'arduous' discussions with Newcastle, which could force them into looking elsewhere.

Potter would be a more realistic target, with the 49-year-old still without a job following his sacking from Chelsea in April last year.

Despite his spell at Stamford Bridge failing to work out, Potter is admired by the FA for his work with the likes of Brighton and Swansea in previous years.

England have had two foreign managers in the past, with Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello previously entrusted with the job.

LATEST SPORTS NEWS:

• England figures 'not happy with Jude Bellingham video' as inquest begins following Euro 2024 final defeat
• Harry Kane 'raised concern with Gareth Southgate' as details emerge following England defeat to Spain
• Roy Keane doesn't hold back after England suffer agonising Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain

And if they decide to go down that route again, then Pochettino and Tuchel are both interested in taking over.

Pochettino is on the market after leaving Chelsea earlier this summer, despite steering the Blues to sixth in the Premier League table.

As for Tuchel, the 50-year-old is a free agent after leaving Bayern Munich by mutual consent following a turbulent 18-month stint in charge of the Bundesliga giants.

Former England boss Sam Allardyce, meanwhile, has told GB News that an English manager is a 'must' as the FA mull over their options.

“You have got to try and pick English if you can”, he said. “An English manager is a must. But the pool is so, so small. That is the biggest problem.

“With the Premier League being so dominant and being the biggest sporting brand, the pool of English managers who may be on the shortlist for England is very small.

“They might look to appoint from within again, you have got to bear in mind Gareth was appointed from within. Outside of that, there may not be many English managers on the shortlist. So you wonder, will they go foreign?

“For me, that would be an absolute disaster.”