AMID all the talk of Gareth Southgate’s future ahead of the start of the World Cup, it is easy to downplay the magnitude of just what the England manager has achieved during his tenure so far.

Four-and-a-half years ago, in Russia, Southgate became the first man to lead England into a World Cup semi-final since Sir Bobby Robson in 1990. Last summer, at the Euros, he became the first manager to lead England into a major final since Sir Alf Ramsey in 1966.

It might not necessarily feel like it off the back of a disastrous Nations League campaign that saw England relegated to the second tier of European sides, but these are golden days for the national team.

Expectations might have been dampened by performances over the course of the last 12 months, but England will still kick off in Qatar as one of the most fancied nations to lift the World Cup. While the knives will still be out for him, so much of that is Southgate’s doing.

“I know what this group of players have been capable of,” said Southgate, ahead of England’s opening Group B game against Iran. “They’ve been to the deep reaches of tournaments. They know what that feels like. They know they can do that again. What people say or think about me is irrelevant. My job is to free players of any of that.”

England’s last World Cup campaign, in Russia, felt like a glorious adventure. Southgate was still in the early days of his tenure, and a side that kicked off with very few expectations placed on their shoulders embarked a thrilling campaign that featured a 6-1 thrashing of Panama at the group stage as well as historic penalty shoot-out win over Colombia.

Southgate, resplendent in his waistcoat, was lauded, with an Atomic Kitten rewrite ringing around the country’s beer gardens.

Last summer was slightly different, with ambitions much higher thanks to much of the Euros being played on home soil, but while questions were being asked about Southgate’s conservative tactical approach in the build-up to the tournament, they were largely silenced when England negotiated the group stage without conceding a goal and went on to achieve knockout wins over Germany, Ukraine and Denmark.

Since then, criticism of Southgate’s safety-first approach has increased to the point where his side will kick off in Qatar with the very real prospect of this being his final major tournament in charge of England.

Win, or even make another semi-final, and the former Middlesbrough boss might well feel it is time to walk away on a high. Underachieve, perhaps by going out at the group stage or even limping through and exiting in the last-16, and the calls for Southgate’s head might become impossible for the FA to ignore.

That would be a shame given the way in which the 52-year-old has improved England’s fortunes on the pitch and transformed the national side’s outlook off it.

For all his achievements at the last two major tournaments, Southgate’s biggest success is arguably the way in which he has created a genuinely inclusive ‘Team England’ environment in which players enjoy the opportunity to play for their country and buy in to everything their manager has created. That has certainly not always been the case in the past.

Southgate’s handling of a raft of difficult political issues has also been hugely impressive, but ultimately, will fate will be determined by how his players perform over the course of the next month.

“England, historically, don’t respond well to pressure and expectation,” said the England boss. “But now, with the team we have, we know they’re capable. They’ve been to a semi-final, they’ve been to a final. So, for the team, they’ll be disappointed with less.”