Gareth Southgate appointed England manager

It's finally official, the English Football Association have announced the appointment of Gareth Southgate as national team manager on a four-year contract. Southgate had been promoted as interim manager of the senior team after former boss Sam Allardyce was sacked following some inappropriate comments to undercover journalists. Southgate had previously held the role of Under-21s team manager and went on to manage the senior team in four matches this autumn. He recorded two wins and two draws in those four matches and England are pretty much still on course to earn qualification to the 2018 World Cup. "I have thoroughly enjoyed working with the players over these past four games and I think there is huge potential," Southgate said after the deal was confirmed. "I am extremely proud to be appointed England manager. However, I am also conscious getting the job is one thing, now I want to do the job successfully. I'm determined to give everything I have to give the country a team that they're proud of and one that they're going to enjoy watching play and develop." Southgate had earned 57 England caps as a player and he becomes the fourth permanent manager of the national team in the last four years. His interim tenure started with a win over Malta, the weakest team in the World Cup qualification group, but then question marks appeared after a rather lucky goalless draw in Slovenia. The team recovered with a solid 3-0 victory over old rivals Scotland, and that result probably granted Southgate the job on a permanent basis. England are 16/1 at Bet365 to win the 2018 World Cup in Russia.