London: Gareth Southgate has no interest in succeeding Roy Hodgson as England manager and would be reluctant even to consider accepting the position on an interim basis while the Football Association sounds out other candidates.

The former England midfielder, who is in charge of the Under-21s, has yet to speak with his employers at the FA about a change to his role since Hodgson resigned in the wake of the humiliating elimination from Euro 2016 by Iceland.

The chief executive, Martin Glenn, said on Tuesday the 45-year-old would be “a pretty obvious one to pick” as a stopgap.

But Southgate, who does not consider himself a candidate for the job full-time, is understood to have serious reservations about stepping in even on a temporary basis to oversee the start of the World Cup qualification campaign in September.

The news represents another significant setback for the FA on a day the outgoing chairman of the FA, Greg Dyke, went as far as to ask why anybody would covet the job of England manager.

“It’s got to be somebody who really knows English football,” he said of Hodgson’s replacement. “But Martin made clear you go for the best person. The harder question is why anybody would want it.”

Southgate, who has spoken about the issue with the technical director, Dan Ashworth, in the past, apparently harbours concerns over how taking on the role, even in the short term, could benefit his future career. He is aware that, if successful in the qualifiers, he would merely end up handing over the reins to the FA’s “first-choice” candidate given he is clearly not considered a contender for the permanent position by the hierarchy at present.

Alternatively, if those competitive matches went poorly, his reputation could be damaged beyond repair.

His instinct is to remain with the Under-21s, to whom he is contracted for a further year and with whom he won the Toulon tournament last month, before pursuing an opportunity back in club management to further his development.

Although he has acknowledged privately that the role of England manager is prestigious, he appreciates the gravity of the job having worked with coaches such as Terry Venables, Don Howe and Glenn Hoddle while gaining his 57 caps.

With that in mind, he considers the position better suited to someone who has enjoyed a more celebrated career and boasts more experience than his three years as manager of Middlesbrough.

He is ambitious but realistic in his outlook and, although the FA has previously mooted the possibility of extending his stay, he sees his next move being back into the club game.

The reality is Southgate is far from inclined to take over the senior side even on an interim basis has placed Glenn, in particular, in a difficult position.

There was a presumption in the chief executive’s comments in Chantilly on Tuesday as England conducted their painful post-mortem of the spluttering campaign at Euro 2016. Glenn, flanked by Hodgson, had he would be prepared to wait for the ideal candidate to become available to take the job full-time partly because he was “well placed with an interim solution”.

The suggestion was that Southgate was that safety net. Glenn may now have to consider pursuing his alternative proposition, mentioned in passing, that would involve “a few interim managers to come and help” with England, who are due to open their World Cup qualification campaign in Slovakia in nine weeks’ time.

Southgate feels his abilities as a coach have come on significantly over the seven years since his time at Middlesbrough drew to a close and he has gained from his experiences first as the FA’s director of elite development — he was originally offered the technical director’s job by Sir Trevor Brooking which Ashworth now occupies — and, since 2013, with the Under-21s.

He considers himself more of a tracksuit coach, despite seeing his influence with the younger age groups at St George’s Park diminished since Matt Crocker swapped Southampton for the FA to become head of player and coach development, but would be more than happy to be part of the body’s consultation process as they seek to identify Hodgson’s successor.

Ashworth, Glenn and the vice-chairman, David Gill, are charged with presenting their recommendation to the FA’s executive and intend to consult senior figures within the game, including members of the squad who failed in France, before making a decision.