Gary Lineker shares his theory about England's Gareth Southgate successor

Gary Lineker has sparked speculation over Pep Guardiola’s next career move, suggesting the Manchester City maestro could be eyeing the England manager role. Following Gareth Southgate’s departure after a heart-wrenching 2-1 loss to Spain in the Euro 2024 final, Under-21 boss Lee Carsley has stepped up temporarily for the upcoming Nations League fixtures against the Republic of Ireland and Finland.

While the FA hunts for Southgate’s permanent replacement, whispers of Guardiola’s interest have been circulating, especially as he approaches the last year of his contract with City. Lineker, on The Rest Is Football podcast, noted Guardiola’s intriguing response to questions about the England job: “I did see an interview a few days ago with Pep Guardiola where he was asked in a press conference if he would be interested in England.

“And you know, mostly people put that away, but he certainly didn’t. And it made me think the way he was talking; I thought he actually might be interested in this job.”

Lineker added, fuelled by perhaps a touch of hope: “And the fact that they’ve appointed (Lee) Carsley as an interim coach and the fact Pep’s contract ends at the end of the season… however, I’m maybe having a little bit of wishful thinking here!”

Ex-England ace Alan Shearer weighed in, saying: “There are a few people or a couple of people that have actually said that to me, but I don’t know, maybe it’s just a rumour, but hey, you never know, which is why I think it’s a wise decision for them to give it to Carsley and just take their time and see what happens.

“I mean, they’ve got a game in a month’s time, less? So I think it would have been really difficult to appoint someone in that short amount of time. So this gives them time to sit back and see and look at the bigger picture.”

Guardiola didn’t dismiss the notion of taking over the reins for England during the press conference alluded to by Lineker. Quizzed about the idea of leading the national team, he stated: “I have to decide what I want to do in my life. If I want to continue here, take a break, train national teams or not – many things.”