Manchester United legend Gary Neville has criticised the The Football Association for appointing Thomas Tuchel as the new England head coach, insisting the decision could hinder the development of English managers.
Softfootball understands that Neville believes England missed an opportunity to place its trust in a homegrown coach, arguing that the country must establish a stronger football identity by promoting English managers.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Neville said:
“I think we are damaging ourselves. I do think there are outstanding English candidates who could have been appointed.
We are in a rut when it comes to coaching. English coaching has one of the worst reputations in Europe we don’t have a clear identity and have not built a style which is unique to us.
“We have seen coaches from all around Europe come to the Premier League and input their styles in our game and we’ve copied them, but in my opinion we need to build an identity and let English coaches flourish.”
“I thought we’d left that period [of appointing foreign coaches] behind.”
Tuchel becomes England’s third foreign manager after Sven-Göran Eriksson and Fabio Capello. The former Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss succeeds Gareth Southgate, who guided the Three Lions to back-to-back UEFA European Championship finals during his tenure.
