Gareth: Players need WAGs to relax

hugely important and we want that environment where the players are relaxed.

‘It becomes a bubble when there’s nothing else in your life and the small things become much bigger than they should be and there’s nothing else to talk about. You’re not hearing anything else, you’re just talking about the tournament and then training.

‘If they can get out of the hotel at certain times, great, but that’s not always easy. There’s always so much focus on every time you leave and come in and people waiting around.’

FIFA do not allow friendly matches for a week at the end of May to ensure players get rest before the tournament but Southgate is adamant that any player having time off will be given a fitness programme so their sharpness does not disappear before the finals begin on June 14.

Southgate and the FA are also seeking clarification if a FIFA ‘exclusion week’ from May 21 includes a ban on competitive training as well as matches.

Southgate said: ‘There will always be some kind of programme to keep them fit. You have to keep a certain level right through otherwise you can tail off. There needs to be some mental switch off at the end of the season but the danger is that you tail off too much and then can’t get it back.

‘Each player will be treated as an individual, some will have played 20 games in the season, some will have played 55.

‘Physical work is tailored that way anyway nowadays because positionally t he requirements of your fullbacks are totally different to your centre-backs for example. We’ve got to be on top of all of that.’

Ironically, given his liberal attitude towards family visits, Southgate did not want his own around when he was a player during tournament time. He said: ‘My attitude was I was there and didn’t want distractions.’