England have been told to ensure their selection to replace Gareth Southgate as manager doesn't suffer the same fate as those who’ve replaced great bosses in the Premier League

England cannot afford to mess up choosing Gareth Southgate’s replacement and suffer a similar fate to Manchester United when Sir Alex Ferguson moved on.

After eight emotional years as head of the England national side, Southgate stepped down after Euro 2024. He ultimately failed to break the country's trophy curse.

Despite losing two Euros finals, the manager earned the admiration of many fans for steering the English ship and getting fans back on board with the national set-up. Finding a suitable replacement to inherit an unfathomably talented squad is now on the agenda.

The FA's selection of Southgate's successor is of paramount importance, and Three Lions icon David Seaman has issued a stark warning. Any misstep could lead to a decline similar to what United suffered under David Moyes after their great boss Ferguson left, and they are not the only Premier League club to have fallen down that path.

"We should be careful what we wish for," Seaman told Betway. "Gareth consistently got us to semi-finals and finals, and that will be hard to replace.

“Everyone thinks a new manager will come in, hit the ground running and kick on from the level that the previous manager has set, but it doesn’t always work out like that. We’ve seen it at club level with Sir Alex Ferguson – a great manager leaves and it all falls to pieces.”

Ferguson reigned at Old Trafford for 26 years, winning every trophy he could get his hands on. That spell ended in 2013 when he stepped down from the helm and announced long-time Everton boss Moyes as his successor.

Moyes won 27 of his 51 games and was swiftly sacked after just a single season in charge. United haven't risen back to the heights they were a mainstay within under Ferguson, and Seaman is worried this could happen to the national team.

The goalkeeper further praised Southgate's job with England, adding: " Southgate has taken England such a long way. I thought that coming so close again might have pushed him on even further to have one more go at the World Cup, because that is the pinnacle of all tournaments, but he’s made his decision to leave.

“Gareth has had a lot of criticism, the crowd have booed him and thrown cups at him, which is tough to take when it’s your own fans. I think he’ll be a manager everyone will look back on and appreciate, though."

Seaman believes that Newcastle's Eddie Howe would be the best bet to avoid a similar fate of the Red Devils post-Ferguson. “If I had to choose the next England manager, I would go for Howe," he stated. "He’s used to dealing with Premier League players and seems to tick all the boxes for an England manager. He would have the respect of the players for what he has achieved at Newcastle.

“The FA would have to tempt him away from his club, and it’s tough because that day-to-day life of club management is a big buzz. I would imagine every English manager’s dream is to manage England. There aren’t many that would turn it down.”

As things stand, out-of-work ex-Chelsea and Brighton boss Graham Potter is the bookies' favourite to take the job. However, England Under-21s boss Lee Carsley is also very much in the running and would have a similar path into the role as his predecessor Southgate. Beyond Seaman's shout of Howe, who has played down talk of taking the job and is focusing on his future at Newcastle, Mauricio Pochettino is free to hire after leaving Chelsea this summer.