Southgate says 'now not the time' to decide future

England manager Gareth Southgate says "now is not the time" to make a decision on his future.

The Three Lions were beaten 2-1 by Spain in the Euro 2024 final in Berlin on Sunday.

Southgate, 53, has been in charge since 2016 but his current contract is due to expire in December.

Asked about his future, Southgate told BBC: "Now is not the time for me to speak about that. I need to talk to the right people and give myself a bit of time.

"To get to another final... it was a privilege to have the opportunity. But to come up short is hard at the moment."

Under Southgate, England have reached back-to-back European finals as well as the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup and the last eight of the 2022 World Cup.

He faced criticism in Germany this month despite England progressing to the knockout stages as group winners.

Plastic cups were aimed at Southgate by supporters following their 0-0 draw with Slovenia.

"The players will take enormous credit for getting us to where we did but when you’re as close as that, you have to take your chance," Southgate told ITV.

"They have represented the shirt with pride and haven’t been beaten until the very end. I just think Spain had more control of the game.

"England are in a really good position in terms of the experience they have. Most of this squad will be around for the next World Cup and maybe the next Euros.

"There’s a lot to look forward to but at this moment, it’s not any consolation."

England captain Harry Kane said the players "love the manager" and they "wanted so badly to win it for him" having also suffered defeat against Italy three years ago.

"I suspect it will be Southgate's last game," former England striker Alan Shearer told BBC One.

"There will be great disappointment at home. They could have played more attacking football but they got to the final. But when you are there, you have got to get over the line.

"The reality is, Southgate got us to a final three years ago and got us to a final here, and hasn't won. That will hurt him and maybe he will think it's time for someone else."