Eddie Howe, Graham Potter and Thomas Tuchel will be near the top of the Football Association’s ­shortlist if Gareth Southgate steps down as England manager after a second consecutive defeat in a European Championship final. Southgate has not made a final decision, with the FA hopeful of convincing him to stay and lead the team into the 2026 World Cup, but it would not be a surprise if he chose to leave after eight years in the job.

Southgate, whose contract expires in December, said before England’s defeat by Spain in the Euro 2024 final on Sunday that he would need days rather than weeks to make his mind up. The 53-year-old, who said he was “devastated” after losing against Spain, had to deal with plenty of criticism from fans and pundits ­during the tournament. He cut a weary figure at times and could decide he needs a new challenge, even though he retains the support of the England squad and the FA.

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It is understood there will not be a shortage of interest should a vacancy arise. Howe, who has impressed at Newcastle since joining them three years ago, is an early frontrunner and Potter and Tuchel would be open to taking over.

Other candidates are likely to include the former ­Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino, Lee Carsley, the England Under-21 mana­ger, and the former England internationals Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard. Any hiring process will be overseen by the FA’s technical ­director, John McDermott, and the chief executive, Mark Bullingham.

A potential complication in any pursuit of Howe, who took ­Newcastle into last season’s Champions League, would be whether the FA can afford him. Southgate is thought to be paid about £5m a year, which is at the lower end of Premier League mana­ger salaries. The FA would need to convince Howe to walk away from Newcastle, where the former Bournemouth manager has enjoyed support from the board and fanbase.

There would be a desire in some quarters for England to appoint a homegrown manager and that could boost Potter’s claim. The former Brighton manager has been out of work since being sacked by Chelsea in April 2023 and he was recently overlooked for the Leicester job. ­Potter has been unsure about taking a number of roles but there is a feeling he has been waiting to see how the England situation plays out.

Carsley, a former Republic of Ireland manager, is in the FA’s system and led the under-21s to glory at the European Championship last year. The youngsters, beating Spain in the final. Gerrard and Lampard would have much to prove after underwhelming starts to their managerial careers.

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England, who have gone 58 years without a trophy in the men’s game, have not ruled out appointing a ­foreign manager for the first time since Fabio Capello.

Tuchel, the former Chelsea manager, is out of work after leaving Bayern Munich. An expert tactician, Tuchel enjoyed working and living in England. The same applies to Pochettino, who left Chelsea in May. However, the Argentinian would need to consider how working for England would be received by his compatriots.

There have also been calls for England to approach Jürgen Klopp but the chances of the former Liverpool manager wanting to take over seem remote.