Gareth Southgate has revealed that talks over a new contract as England manager have been postponed until after this summer's European Championships.
The 53-year-old is set to lead the Three Lions into his fourth major tournament as manager in Germany, with England one of the favourites to lift the continental crown.
Southgate initially took charge of his nation on an four-game interim basis in September 2016, following the sacking of Sam Allardyce after just one match in the hotseat.
Since then, the 53-year-old has led England to a World Cup semi-final in Russia in 2018, as well as within penalty kicks of winning Euro 2020 against Roberto Mancini's Italy three years ago.
Speaking following his squad announcement ahead of March's friendlies against Brazil and Belgium at Wembley, Southgate stated that he is focused solely on providing major tournament glory for England in the summer, not his future.
"I'm completely relaxed about that (future after the Euros) and I have no idea where we'll be in the middle of July, other than I hope it's Trafalgar Square and let's get the party on. Four lions!" said England boss Southgate.
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"I think we would have to sit and think about that at the end of the tournament. I'm happy to talk about it briefly now, but I'm not going to talk about it the whole summer, what's next.
"We've consciously shelved any discussions internally about what might be next, because I think if we had sat and signed a new contract and done that before the tournament, everybody would have said: 'Well, you did this with Fabio Capello and you should be proving yourself before you sign."
As alluded to, it is understood that the FA are hoping to avoid the repeat of a storyline in 2010, when then-England boss Capello signed a new contract ahead of the World Cup in South Africa.
Squeezing out of a group containing Slovenia, USA and Algeria, the Three Lions were drawn against Germany in the last 16 and were ultimately eliminated from the competition.
With hopes high around England's chances of lifting their first major honour since 1966, Southgate is keen to avoid placing any unnecessary stress on his squad.
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"I think it has the potential to negatively affect the reaction to the team. The team needs the clearest run they can possibly have at this tournament, so my job is to remove pressure from the team where possible," claimed Southgate on Thursday afternoon.
"We've got to accept some pressure because we're one of the favourites. But, equally, I don't want to put anything additional onto the team."
According to The Mirror, the FA are prepared to hand Southgate a new contract as Three Lions manager running up until the 2026 World Cup in North America.
The 53-year-old is currently on a £2.5m-per-year deal as England boss, and would likely see his annual salary increase if new terms were agreed.
Southgate's current contract expires in December, leaving the FA and the former Middlesbrough manager time to assess his future following this summer's Euros.
