Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger backs 'outstanding candidate' Gareth Southgate to get England job on a permanent basis

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Shravanth Vijayakumar13 October 2016

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has brushed off speculation linking him with the England job and backed Gareth Southgate to take over the reins of the national team on a permanent basis despite the interim boss' relative lack of experience.

Following England's lacklustre goalless World Cup qualifier draw with Slovenia on Tuesday and an underwhelming 2-0 win over minnows Malta last weekend, Southgate has two more games in charge to convince the FA that he is the right man for the job.

"I focus on my job. He (Southgate) was a good observer of what was going on in the England national team.

"We are in a job where people question, especially when you don't have much experience," Wenger told reporters on Thursday.

"The only answer he can give is by showing that the decisions you make are right and that you have the strength to do what you believe is right."

The FA are prepared to wait for Wenger to see out his contract, which runs out at the end of the season, at Arsenal as they believe the Frenchman can rebuild the confidence of the England squad, which suffered a humiliating Euro 2016 exit to Iceland, according to media reports.

"Yes he is (the outstanding candidate for the job). At some stage that is the difficulty in England, there's always the demand for the big names," the 66-ear-old added.

"The most important thing is competence."

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