Former England striker Chris Sutton recently criticised the England FA for subjecting interim manager Gareth Southgate to a three-hour interview for the England job.

After the exit of Sam Allardyce, the England FA are once again searching for a permanent England manager. The football Association is confident of finding the right person who will be able to lead the national team into the World Cup 2018. Southgate was appointed on an interim basis in order to help the national team during the World Cup qualifiers scheduled until November.

After having successfully negotiated this games with two wins and two draws, Sutton believes that Southgate should not be subjected to interviews as he has already been in the job for long enough. The former Middlesbrough manager is also the only candidate at the moment.

There have even been discussions for the possibility of a foreign manager taking over for the first time since Fabio Capello four years ago. However, not many have expressed their interest in the England job, as it is seen as a tough exercise that involves a lot of rebuilding. Southgate is widely considered as the favourite to become the next England boss and he would be expected to get the same £ 6 million contract given to Sam Allardyce.

“Personally, I don’t think it is overcomplicating it.Why make this meeting public? Why couldn’t they have had this meeting behind closed doors and then announced Gareth as manager?It’s a little bit undermining, a bit of a slap across the face,” said Sutton. “I understand why there’s the debate about why you need a formal process. It makes perfect sense if you’ve had an interim manager to have three or four days pass and then come back and review it with a clear head,” said former FA executive Adrian Bevington.