GARETH SOUTHGATE strengthened his grip on the England manager’s job as his side strolled to victory over Scotland - and revealed how much he is revelling in his role in charge of his country.

England claimed their biggest victory over Scotland for more than 40 years as goals from Daniel Sturridge, Adam Lallana and Gary Cahill secured a 3-0 win at Wembley.

The result maintained England’s unbeaten start to their qualifying campaign for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, and makes it all-but-certain that Southgate will now be confirmed as Sam Allardyce’s permanent successor.

Southgate’s interim spell in charge is due to end with Tuesday’s friendly against Spain, and FA officials are expected to rubber-stamp his appointment shortly after next week’s game.

“I’ve loved it,” said the former Middlesbrough manager, who stepped up from his former role in charge of the Under-21s to succeed Allardyce. “I’ve really enjoyed the role and the responsibility.

“I’ve enjoyed the challenge of every part of it. I get that it’s not quite as enjoyable if you don’t get the results, and there are areas where we can improve and learn. But it’s been a brilliant experience.

“I’ve taken so much from the experience. As a (managerial) group, I think we’ve created a good environment to prepare the team very well.

“But that’s (whether he is appointed full-time) not my decision. I was given the task of picking the job up in a very difficult time for everybody, and I feel as though we’ve prepared the team very well.

“I’ve enjoyed that, and enjoyed working with them. We’ve got a difficult challenge to prepare for the game with Spain now, and the rest is out of my hands.”

Lallana praised Southgate’s steadying influence since taking over from Allardyce last month, with the entire England squad understood to be extremely supportive of the former Boro boss’ claims to a permanent position.

“He has given good stability,” said Lallana. “He has not had much time with us. It’s not in our hands, we just do as well as we can, and tonight was a good three points.”

Lallana was the driving force behind England’s victory, with his polished midfield display helping the hosts gain the upper hand despite Scotland carving out a number of good opportunities.

Sturridge’s headed opener handed England a first-half advantage, but Grant Hanley, Leigh Griffiths, James Forrest and Robert Snodgrass all missed decent chances as England’s attempts to play the ball out from the back repeatedly backfired.

Lallana’s header effectively settled things, with Cahill’s subsequent header from Wayne Rooney’s corner giving the scoreline a lop-sided feel.

“It was good to see the players come through a pressurised environment and win,” said Southgate. “And it was good to see them enjoying their football.

“The game is always different when the scoreline is as it was in the last ten or 15 minutes, but before that there were moments when we weren’t as comfortable.

“Some of the play with the ball and the interchange of positions was very exciting, but some of our first-phase build-up play was sloppy. We created our own problems and gave up more chances than we should have.

“We did some very pleasing things at times, and there were some very good individual performances. I was pleased with the way we used the ball and pressed with energy.”

While Southgate left Wembley with a spring in his step, his successor in the Middlesbrough hot-seat, Gordon Strachan, headed north in a very different frame of mind.

The Scotland boss was under immense pressure before the game, and his job is now in serious jeopardy, with Sunderland manager David Moyes one of the people being touted around as a potential successor.

Scotland’s only success in the current qualifying campaign came in their opening game against Malta, and they are now six points behind England with just four games played.

Strachan felt his players were unfortunate to suffer a three-goal defeat, and insists he is not concerned about his own position despite the mounting speculation.

“If anyone thinks I’m thinking about myself at the moment, then they are wrong,” said a typically pugnacious Strachan. “I have to think about all the guys in there – they’ve been tremendous for me.

“We might not be the best in the world, but we get the best out of them. No one can talk about a lack of pride. At the moment, I’m only thinking about them.

“If you think I’m thinking about myself, you don’t know me. It’s absolutely nothing to do with me. I’ve got to send the players back to their clubs feeling that they’ve given it their best shot. I think the game was really cruel to them.”