Thomas Tuchel was quick to dismiss the suggestion that he had turned down Manchester United in order to take the England job.
The former Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss has been out of work since stepping down from the Bundesliga club at the end of May. Tuchel was reportedly the subject of extensive interest from several European sides, most notably Manchester United, over the summer.
Erik ten Hag’s position came under serious threat as INEOS mulled over a managerial change. The club held informal talks with a raft of candidates during the off-season before ultimately sticking with the Dutchman. After suffering through United’s worst-ever start to a Premier League season, Tuchel was again put forward as a potential Ten Hag successor earlier this month.
The German head coach instead joined England. Tuchel was keen to clarify that his decision was not a reflection on Manchester United during his introductory press conference. “The idea and the way John [McDermott] and Mark [Bullingham] presented it was very fast and confidential,” Tuchel explained to the assembled media. “It was very straightforward, it was a decision for this job and not against anything else.”
FA technical director John McDermott and the association’s chief executive, Mark Bullingham, have spearheaded the search for Gareth Southgate’s replacement since the divisive coach stepped down from the role in the aftermath of losing the Euro 2024 final to Spain.
Bullingham provided a broad outline for the process, saying: “We had a really clear recruitment plan in place before the Euros. John McDermott and the team developed our ideal profile for an international coach and a shortlist if we needed it.
“After Gareth [Southgate] resigned we executed that plan, met and evaluated potential candidates. Thomas was absolutely outstanding, providing a clear vision of how we will work with our players to get the best out of them and to give us the best chance in the World Cup.”
