England Boss Southgate Dismisses ‘Disrespectful’ Man Utd Links

Football - International Friendly - England Training - St George's Park, Burton upon Trent, Britain - March 22, 2024 England manager Gareth Southgate during training. (Reuters)
Football - International Friendly - England Training - St George's Park, Burton upon Trent, Britain - March 22, 2024 England manager Gareth Southgate during training. (Reuters)
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England Boss Southgate Dismisses ‘Disrespectful’ Man Utd Links

Football - International Friendly - England Training - St George's Park, Burton upon Trent, Britain - March 22, 2024 England manager Gareth Southgate during training. (Reuters)
Football - International Friendly - England Training - St George's Park, Burton upon Trent, Britain - March 22, 2024 England manager Gareth Southgate during training. (Reuters)

England manager Gareth Southgate said reports linking him with the top job at Manchester United were completely disrespectful and that he would only make a decision about his future after the European Championship.

Southgate is yet to agree a new deal ahead of the Euros, which will be his fourth major competition in charge of England. His current contract runs through to the end of 2024.

"My focus is the European Championship," Southgate told reporters on Friday ahead of England's friendly against Brazil.

"If we did something, a contract here (with England) before, everybody would be saying, 'Why are you signing a contract before a Euros where you've got to prove yourself?'

"I'm certainly not going to speak to anybody else ahead of that. I never have. I've been here eight years in the job. I wouldn't entertain speaking to anybody else when I'm in a job."

Reports in British media say the 53-year-old is among United co-owner Jim Ratcliffe's top candidates to replace Erik Ten Hag if the Dutchman parts ways with the Old Trafford club, who are sixth in the Premier League.

"There are two things from my point of view," Southgate added. "One is that I'm the England manager. I've got one job: to try to deliver a European Championship. Clearly, before that, two important games this week.

"The second thing is United have a manager. It's always completely disrespectful when there's any speculation about a manager that's in place.

"I'm president of the LMA (League Managers Association) so I don't have any time for that sort of thing really."

England host Brazil later on Saturday and Belgium on Tuesday at Wembley Stadium.



Sinner, Djokovic in Opposite Halves at Australian Open, Sabalenka vs Stephens in 1st Round

09 January 2025, Australia, Melbourne: Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka (L) and Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner pose with Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup and the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup during the draw for the 2025 Australian Open tennis tournament, at Melbourne Park, Melbourne. Photo: Joel Carrett/AAP/dpa
09 January 2025, Australia, Melbourne: Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka (L) and Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner pose with Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup and the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup during the draw for the 2025 Australian Open tennis tournament, at Melbourne Park, Melbourne. Photo: Joel Carrett/AAP/dpa
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Sinner, Djokovic in Opposite Halves at Australian Open, Sabalenka vs Stephens in 1st Round

09 January 2025, Australia, Melbourne: Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka (L) and Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner pose with Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup and the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup during the draw for the 2025 Australian Open tennis tournament, at Melbourne Park, Melbourne. Photo: Joel Carrett/AAP/dpa
09 January 2025, Australia, Melbourne: Belarusian tennis player Aryna Sabalenka (L) and Italian tennis player Jannik Sinner pose with Daphne Akhurst Memorial Cup and the Norman Brookes Challenge Cup during the draw for the 2025 Australian Open tennis tournament, at Melbourne Park, Melbourne. Photo: Joel Carrett/AAP/dpa

Defending champion Jannik Sinner and 10-time Australian Open winner Novak Djokovic have landed in opposite sides of the draw for the season’s first major, ruling out a replay of last year’s semifinal match.
Sinner upset Djokovic in the semifinals at the Australian Open last year before coming back to beat Daniil Medvedev in the final 3-6, 3-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-3 for his first Grand Slam singles title.
Top-ranked Sinner has a first-round match against Nicolas Jarry and also has Taylor Fritz, Ben Shelton and Medvedev in his quarter of the draw. Fritz will open against fellow American Jenson Brooksby.
Djokovic and No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz could meet in the quarterfinals, with a possible semifinal against No. 2 Alexander Zverev.
At the draw Thursday to set the brackets for the singles fields, defending champions Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka walked into the official ceremony holding thei trophies.
Sabalenka won her second consecutive title at Melbourne Park in 2024 by defeating Zheng Qinwen 6-3, 6-2 in the final. Sabalenka will be attempting to win a third consecutive women’s singles title at Melbourne Park, something last accomplished by Martina Hingis from 1997 to 1999.
Sabalenka drew a tough opening match against 2017 US Open champion Sloane Stephens and has 17-year-old Mirra Andreeva and Zheng in her section.
“I have a lot of great memories and to be back here ... as a two-time Australian Open champion, it’s definitely something special,” Sabalenka, who won the Brisbane International title last week, said at the draw ceremony. “I hope that I can keep doing what I’m doing here in Australia.”
Third-seeded Coco Gauff is a potential semifinal rival for Sabalenka. Gauff has a challenging first-round match against former Australian Open champion Sofia Kenin and is in the same section of the draw as seventh-seeded Jessica Pegula.
The Australian Open starts Sunday morning in Melbourne (Saturday night EST) and will run for 15 days.
Djokovic will be playing in his first event alongside new coach Andy Murray, his former on-court rival and a three-time major champion. Nobody has won the men's title at Melbourne Park more often than Djokovic, although he said he still feels trauma from the one year he wasn’t allowed to play.
Nick Kyrgios, the 2022 Wimbledon runner-up who withdrew from an exhibition against Djokovic this week because of an abdominal strain, will face Jacob Fearnley in the first round if the mercurial Australian is fit enough to contest his first major since the 2022 US Open. Kyrgios is in the same section as Zverev.