Gareth Southgate says now is the time to focus on the future, following his appointment as England’s interim manager.
The Under-21 coach will take charge of the Three Lions’ remaining 2016 fixtures following Sam Allardyce’s departure on Tuesday evening.
Southgate was briefly mooted as replacement for Roy Hodgson in the summer, before Allardyce took over in July.
But Allardyce’s departure earlier this week has left the former Three Lions defender in temporary control – and he says there’s cause for optimism going forward.
“We have an excellent group of players and the future is certainly bright”
Gareth Southgate
“I’m a passionate Englishman and I think people know where I stood on the long-term role in the summer,” he told TheFA.com.
“The interim role was never discussed at that stage because The FA were always confident that they could get somebody permanent.
“Obviously, it’s been a bit of whirlwind because I was expecting to be involved in two different games with a different set of players and a different staff.
“I think everybody recognises that it’s not an ideal situation to take over at such short notice, but this does give us the best possible continuity and I’m looking forward to the challenge that’s there and I’m confident that we can get the results that we want.
“The focus now has to be on playing football, putting in good performances and getting results – starting with Malta at Wembley.
“These are four big games for us as a country. I’m looking forward to the challenge and I’m confident that we can get good results.
“We have an excellent group of players and the future is certainly bright for this England team.”
Southgate's most recent game with the Under-21s ended in a 6-1 victory
Southgate has managed the Under-21s since 2013, and has worked closely with the senior side during the past three years.
Several players have progressed from the Young Lions squad into the senior set-up during that time, such as John Stones, Harry Kane, Luke Shaw, Dele Alli and Eric Dier.
Southgate says he is looking forward to working with those players once again, as well as to take charge of the country’s more experienced representatives.
“We have some exciting players and I have great belief in the ability of our young English players,” said the 46-year-old.
“The good thing about St. George’s Park is that I’ve been able to interact with a lot of the senior players as well over a period of time. I played with Wayne [Rooney] on his England debut, so I have an understanding of where they are.
“I hope we can play in a style like the Under-21s have. We want to win but we want to win games by playing well too.”
Southgate with Harry Kane at last year's Under-21 Euro Finals
Malta visit Wembley on Saturday 8 October (kick-off: 5pm), with a limited number of tickets still available from TheFA.com/Tickets.
