I’m at Boro for the long haul, insists Southgate

GARETH SOUTHGATE has promised he will not use his club Middlesbrough as a management “stepping stone”.

The 37-year-old has spent the last two years learning his trade after being handed the chance to launch his managerial career by chairman Steve Gibson. He freely admits it has been a voyage of discovery, but he has no plans to cut and run to a bigger club once he has established himself.

Southgate said: “I’m thinking long-term, I’m not using this as a stepping stone for something else. If I’m here in five years, then brilliant because that means we are doing it right.”