As Gareth Southgate celebrates half a decade in charge of England, the big question is: has he got another five years left in him? If you look closely enough, the signs are there.
On the day a fire broke out at the stadium that will host Saturday night's World Cup qualifier, it was clear the flames are still burning for Southgate.
His contract expires at the end of next winter’s World Cup. Southgate has hardly been in a rush to commit to a new deal, despite the Football Association making it abundantly clear they would like him to do so.
Gareth Southgate recently marked five years as England manager earlier this week
The Three Lions boss takes his side to Andorra for Saturday night's World Cup qualifier
Football circles are awash with talk that Southgate fancies a return to club management in the not-too-distant future. Then there’s the biggest question of all: does this current England squad reach the end of its cycle after the 2022 World Cup?
Asked on Friday whether he could make it a decade in charge of the national team, Southgate’s answer was far from convincing.
‘It is difficult to set timelines. I always remember Howard Wilkinson talking about management when he was doing things for the League Managers Association and saying surviving in management is very often success,’ explained Southgate.
‘Football management is a very high-pressured environment, there is no question about that. But in terms of how long you would want to be somewhere, what I talked about earlier is key.
Southgate refused to confirm whether he will end up spending another five years at the helm
‘Are the team still improving and evolving? Are the players still listening to what you are saying? Are they still buying into the methods of working? I think they are the fundamental things.
‘It is hard to put a timeline on it but I think it is important to know when it
