England manager Gareth Southgate said he never expected to lead his country into a World Cup, but is now excited by the prospect of doing it in Russia.
Southgate was promoted from the under-21 set up to guide England through qualifying when Sam Allardyce’s short reign was ended after one game in charge.
The 47-year-old has been impressive during his tenure as three lions boss so far, but admits he had reservations about taking the job given the circumstances
“It’s a journey I didn’t expect or want to be on,” Southgate told BBC Sport . “I was hoping that in the last Euros the team was going to do really well and Roy [Hodgson] would still be there.