Southgate puts England first

Gareth Southgate is prepared to sacrifice his own managerial ambitions to improve England's chances of long-term success and insists his new role with the FA should not be viewed as a step towards replacing Fabio Capello.

Southgate was confirmed as the new head of elite development and the wide-ranging role will involve extensive liaison with England's top clubs, aimed at improving relations with the governing body and ensuring the release of young players for the growing number of age-group tournaments.

Southgate said. "It (the England job) is certainly not a role that has been spoken about and is not a role I am looking towards."

Alongside head of football development Sir Trevor Brooking, Southgate will also play an integral role in helping to improve coaching standards across the game, including ensuring the country's best junior coaches are adequately rewarded for their efforts.

Southgate added: "I know Fabio Capello and Franco Baldini. I don't want to be seen as peering over their shoulder. Neither will I be leaving this role to go and manage a club in the forseeable future."

Not that Capello has ever needed that, despite his failure at the World Cup - a scar on his CV the Italian is anxious to erase.

"I made a promise to an executive of the England FA that I would honour our agreement," Capello said, rejecting talk of an approach from Juventus.

"It's not as if I have given a good image at the World Cup.

"With the team that I had we need to be calm and understand where we have to improve."