Gary Lineker and Micah Richards name surprise potential Gareth Southgate replacement after being 'mesmerised' by his analysis

Gary Lineker and Micah Richards have named their ideal Gareth Southgate replacement for when the England manager leaves his role.

Southgate has guided the Three Lions to the Euro 2024 semi-final after they beat Switzerland on penalties in Dusseldorf.

England will now take on the Netherlands for a spot in the final - which would be their second consecutive European Championship final if they can get there.

And although performances as a whole may not have been particularly inspiring, England have so far done the one thing that counts in knockout football - win by any means.

If the Three Lions do not win the competition, there will be question marks over Southgate's future given his pre-tournament comments.

The 53-year-old stated that Euro 2024 could be his 'last chance' to win an international tournament with England, and added: "I know that you can't keep standing in front of the public and saying, 'Please do a little more', because at some point people will lose faith in your message.

"If we want to be a big team, and I want to be a top coach, then you have to deliver in the big moments."

Now, Lineker and Richards - who were both working on the England versus Switzerland clash for BBC - have pinpointed their preferred successor for Southgate on the latest The Rest is Football podcast.

Their choice is England legend Frank Lampard - who was alongside them on the proverbial BBC sofa on Sunday.

Lampard has been out of work since being sacked by Everton in January 2023, having previously had spells with Chelsea and Derby.

He has been linked with roles at Burnley, Rangers and Birmingham, but is still waiting for his next role in management.

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Explaining his reasoning behind tipping Lampard for the England role, Lineker said: "I think he's been a bit unlucky in his managerial career in some ways.

"He gets it tactically, and he's Frank Lampard.

"I think this is Gareth Southgate's last tournament whatever, whether we win it or not. But I wouldn't disregard Frank [to replace him].

"I think players would respect him immensely. If you're going to go English, who else? Eddie Howe?"

Richards said: "You know what I really enjoyed about tonight's game? Frank's analysis pre-game.

"We normally have around a minute and a half, two minutes maximum if it's really something detailed. But Frank's analysis was about three minutes and I was glued to it.

"You can tell he's got something. He's articulate, the way he explains points. You can tell there's a manager there inside of him."

Graham Potter and Newcastle head coach Eddie Howe are currently the two leading contenders to take over as Three Lions boss, according to the odds, with Mauricio Pochettino and England U21 manager Lee Carsley also seen as potential candidates.