England manager Gareth Southgate has been told his job is safe even if his side lose every game at next year’s World Cup in Russia.
Southgate oversaw a successful qualification campaign for the finals, where England will face Belgium, Tunisia and Panama in the group stage.
FA chief executive Martin Glenn says the manager will retain his position “for the next few tournaments”.
“We have a long-term plan. You’ve seen some of the fruits of it,” Glenn said.
Southgate, 47, took charge of England on a permanent basis 12 months ago, signing a four-year contract.
“Long-term plans are hard to defend when the short-term results go against you,” added Glenn, who was quoted in several national newspapers.
“He’s not looking at Russia as a free pass. The World Cup’s a really important staging post for our development, I think.
“We go out there wanting to win it but also being realistic. No-one wants to have a bad World Cup but we’re confident he’s the right guy to take us through for the next few tournaments.”
England’s future hopes have been buoyed by age-group successes this year, including Under-17 and Under-20 World Cup victories, and Glenn says having a long-term vision is the way forward.
“We’re going to do it in a way that’s sustainable,” he said.
“We know that worked for the Germans and we know that worked for the Spanish, so we’re just repeating things they’ve done with our own emphasis on it.”
Spain were crowned 2010 World Cup and 2012 European champions during manager Vicente del Bosque’s eight-year spell as manager, while Germany boss Joachim Low has been in the job 11 years during which time he has led them to 2014 World Cup victory and runner-up spot at the 2008 Euros.
