Roy Hodgson fell on his sword following England’s humiliating exit at Euro 2016 as they crashed out of the tournament at the hands of Iceland.
For the second time in a row at a major competition, the former Liverpool boss failed to galvanise the Three Lions, leading to a premature exit at the hands of the minnows.
The 68-year-old announced his departure via a prepared statement at his post-match press conference, refusing to answer the questions of the media.
The Football Association, who were interested in keeping Hodgson in the role after the Euros, is now faced with the task of beginning the search for his successor.
In the latest football betting odds, Gareth Southgate has emerged as the leading candidate at 11/8 for the position, with the possibility of him being elevated from the England Under-21s.
The 45-year-old has limited experience at club level when he managed Middlesbrough for three seasons, replacing Steve McClaren when he became England boss.
However, after two seasons of guiding the North East outfit to 12th and 13th-place finishes, Boro were relegated for the first time in 12 years, collecting just 32 points from their 38 matches.
Southgate spent time out of the game before returning in 2013 to take charge of the Young Lions, enjoying success in his first match as Saido Berahino guided his team to a 1-0 win over Moldova.
He guided the Under-21s through their qualifying group for their European Championships in 2015, winning nine of the 10 matches, dropping just two points in the process.
England then defeated Croatia in their playoff fixture to reach the finals in Czech Republic, and were placed in a group alongside Portugal, Sweden and Italy.
Their campaign got off to a poor start, losing 1-0 to Portugal as Joao Mario scored the only goal of the game. However, Jesse Lingard’s strike against Sweden handed his team the three points, giving the Young Lions hope of reaching the knockout phase by not losing to Italy.
Southgate’s men were torn apart by the Azzurri, succumbing to a 3-1 defeat, with Nathan Redmond netting a consolation goal in stoppage time. The result left England bottom of the group and on the plane home.
The 45-year-old’s credentials do not make a strong case, although managers with strong records at club and international level have failed before as well.
Selecting the former Aston Villa defender to lead the nation would be a huge risk by the FA, considering the national side’s performance at the past two major tournaments.
Southgate would not bring a revolution to England’s style of play, nor would he have the tactical nuance to baffle opponents around the world.
He does know the young players in the squad well, having spent time with the likes of Harry Kane, Eric Dier and Dele All, leaving him in a strong position to bring out the best in the Three Lions’ players.
Due to a dearth of options around to take the job, he may well turn out to be the man the FA turn to as the leading English candidate as managers such as Alan Pardew, Eddie Howe and Sam Allardyce all appear comfortable in the Premier League and have hardly set the world alight in their jobs.
Left-field suggestions in the form of former boss Glenn Hoddle would be foolish considering the amount of time he has spent out of the game, along with Alan Shearer.
Gary Neville was thought to be a one-time successor for Hodgson, but given his struggles at Valencia and the quality of England’s displays at the Euros with him as part of the coaching staff, opinion may well sway away from him.
Southgate leads the charge for the role, but there is no outstanding candidate, which will be a worry for the FA given the sheer enormity of the task at hand.
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