Hodgson focused on football

FA chief executive Martin Glenn said on Friday that England’s performance in France will determine whether Hodgson will be offered a new deal.

England manager Roy Hodgson insists he is happy to wait until after the European Championships in France before discussing his future with the FA.

England’s game with Scotland will be the first competitive clash between the teams since 1999, and Hodgson is excited by the tie.

He added: “It’s important to be at the World Cup draw on behalf of the Football Association”.

“For me, Saturday is all about the draw and ensuring that the team are doing all the right things on and off the pitch to prepare long term for the tournament in Russian Federation”. We have got recent experience of what the atmosphere will be like.

The former Liverpool boss said: “It is a great honour to be England manager – I shall be delighted to retain that position all the time people want me too, but it won’t occupy my thoughts at this point in time”.

Under Hodgson’s guidance, England reached the quarter-finals of the last Euros losing to Italy on penalties, before a dismal showing at the 2014 World Cup where they went out at the group stages without winning a game.

England have won their opening six games and are confident of qualifying for the Euros in France next year.

“We will be looking to organise reciprocal matches with most of these teams during the World Cup qualification period (2016-2018)”.

Hodgson wants the opportunity to take the side to the World Cup in Russian Federation in 2018 after being drawn in Group F where they will also face Slovakia, Slovenia, Lithuania and Malta.

Only the group winners will qualify automatically, meaning the need for a good draw could prove to be crucial – England or Wales could find themselves in a group with Italy, Sweden, Turkey, Macedonia and Georgia.