Kyle Walker and Harry Maguire back manager Gareth Southgate: 'The players love him'

Kyle Walker and Harry Maguire have both given Gareth Southgate their full backing after England were beaten 2-1 by France in the World Cup 2022 Quarter Finals.

The Manchester United and Manchester City players told post-match reporters that the England boss had been 'amazing' and that the 'lads are behind him'.

City defender Kyle Walker said of the game: "Sometimes you don't always get what you deserve. We fell short."

On Harry Kane's missed penalty he added: "It's football. Things happen. We're a team. We win together and we lose together. He's [Kane] our captain. And he's our captain for a reason."

Talking about Gareth Southgate he told ITV Sport: "He's a great man. He's a great coach. And whatever he thinks is the right decision is down to him. But the lads are behind him."

Manchester United's Harry Maguire said: "We fully believed that we would win the game and the tournament. We were starting to control games like we haven't in the past. It hurts. It really does hurt. These players will get another opportunity. We will learn from it."

On Gareth Southgate, he said: "The players love Gareth. He's been amazing with each and every one of us. You can see how far this team has come over his period of management."

The Premier League will return after the World Cup break from Boxing Day.