Stuart Pearce reveals text he sent to Gareth Southgate after England’s defeat to France as Three Lions boss is told to stay on after World Cup exit

Stuart Pearce is hopeful Gareth Southgate will remain England boss following their World Cup exit at the hands of France.

England’s campaign in Qatar came to a heart-breaking end as they suffered a 2-1 defeat against reigning world champions France on Saturday night.

It was a disappointing end to a tournament that promised so much for the Three Lions, who looked very impressive during wins over Iran, Wales and Senegal.

Southgate kept his cards close to his chest on what he plans to do next, saying he’ll need time to think about his status as England manager.

And Pearce, who played alongside Southgate with the national team, is hopeful his former teammate will carry on in his post – the talkSPORT pundit also revealed what he said in a text to the manager on Sunday morning.

“I’ve dropped him a text this morning just saying how proud I am of him and the squad,” Pearce told talkSPORT on Sunday.

“I hope he stays in post and drives this team forward because I’m so proud of them and have been in the previous tournament as well and prior to that in Russia.

“I’m so proud of all the players for what they’re achieving and also what they stand for and the togetherness and pride in the shirt as an ex-England player.

While Pearce wants Southgate to stay, the 52-year-old has attracted criticism during his time as England manager despite impressive performances at the 2018 World Cup and Euro 2020.

“After Iceland in Euro 2016 you couldn’t see where they were going. We were a team, we had tactics but there wasn’t an affinity between the team and the nation,” Lewis told talkSPORT.

“You couldn’t really see us playing decent football that made you proud of the country and you couldn’t really see where we went from there.

“But with this team you can see there are young players that are going to form the nucleus of the side going into Euro 2024.

“You can see there’s a culture within the squad that Gareth has put together, or harmony, of unity. There is a consistency of tactics and team selection, there is a boldness.

“You can see that he’s evolved the team. From five at the back to get us through to the final of the Euros to four at the back in which we expressed ourselves against the defending champions.”

Meanwhile, Andy Townsend believes other managers can learn from Southgate.

“There are a lot of people who have been very impressed by what Gareth’s done, the way he’s gone about it and I’m certainly one of those,” Townsend added.

“I think a lot of very experienced managers could learn an awful lot from him. The way he handles himself, the way he speaks, the way he has forged very strong bonds and relationships with his players.”