Ex-England defender Gary Neville says Thomas Tuchel appointment is "damaging" for English football

On Wednesday, it was confirmed that Tuchel would take charge of England from January 1, 2025, with the German penning an 18-month contract to take him until after the 2026 World Cup.

The 51-year-old is set to become just the third non-British permanent manager of the men's team after Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello.

Tuchel has been heavily linked with the Manchester United job in recent weeks, with the Red Devils considering sacking Erik ten Hag, but it has now been confirmed that he will take charge of England at the start of 2025.

Neville, who represented England on 85 occasions as a player between 1995 and 2007 before working as assistant manager between 2012 and 2016, has paid tribute to the German's credentials, but he has admitted that the decision could be "damaging" for English football due to the message that it sends out to the coaches.

Neville admits to concerns over Tuchel appointment

"They've got a great coach, there is no doubt about that. Thomas Tuchel has a proven track record. From that point of view, the FA can't be criticised," Neville told Sky Sports News. "They probably got the best available coach in the world at this moment in time. Fitting that criteria they are absolutely spot on.

"I am not sure it meets the criteria of St George's Park and the belief in English coaches and the growth in the English team's performances over the last few years.

"Not just the men's, but the women's and the youth teams as well. St George's Park was going to be a hot bed of proving that English coaches could get back to the top of European football.

"It doesn't feel like a strategic decision it feels like an instinctive one off the back of what's happened in the last two weeks. Thomas Tuchel has been available for months, there was no need to appoint an interim if they wanted him. This to me smacks of it being a recent decision.

"That is proving to be very difficult. It's difficult for English coaches to get the top jobs in the Premier League and rightly so we have some of the best clubs in the world. But the England job has now gone to an international coach and - it is not really about Thomas Tuchel but - there is an element of disappointment in my head.

"I don't think Thomas Tuchel should be in any way, shape or form questioned in a difficult way this afternoon when he sits in the press conference because I think that he's a great coach, he's taken a job with a group of talented players and I think everybody in our country including myself will wish him all the best and hope we can get over the line and win a trophy, but I think there are some serious questions for the FA to answer in respect of English coaching.

Tuchel is set to manage England at the 2026 World Cup

"I do think we are damaging ourselves accepting Thomas Tuchel is better, he is better than any of the other English coaches. But with the English coaches that have managed in the upper echelons of the league with Eddie Howe at Newcastle and Graham Potter. I do think there are outstanding coaches that could have been appointed that were English.

"Let's be really clear, as a country the Premier League we've benefited hugely from the international players and coaches that have come to our country.

"I think the league's the best in the world at the moment because of Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, Mauricio Pochettino, Jose Mourinho and all those coaches we've had in the league in the last six, seven, eight years. It's outstanding and I wouldn't change it for the world.

"It should be difficult for English coaches to get the top jobs in our country but I think that my view is at this moment in time that you know it's very difficult as an English coach and I think the England team, I mean it's really simple, there are people who just think we're England, we should have an English coach.

"I don't think of it as sort of simply as that, I think of it purely from a point of view that I've worked under international coaches for England, I loved playing for England whilst I was working under Terry Venables, Glenn Hoddle, Steve McLaren, Kevin Keegan and Sven-Goran Eriksson so I didn't see any difference in terms of my passion for my country when I played under an international coach but what I have seen in this last 15, 20 years is the reputational damage that English coaching has taken.

Neville says English coaching is "in a rut"

"We are in a rut when it comes to English coaching. English coaching is one of the least respected big nations in Europe when it comes to taking charge of a football team. Spanish, German, Italian coaches, Portuguese coaches are renowned for their styles of play, for their philosophy.

"We don't have a clear identity as an English nation of what we are anymore. We haven't built a style, we haven't got a coach who's built a style that's unique to us and we've seen coaches from all around Europe come and input their styles into our game and we've copied their styles and we're trying to copy what they do without really developing our own style.

"I think to me at this moment in time, my view is that we need to build an identity as an English sort of country in terms of what our style of play is and let English coaches flourish and St George's Park was set up to do that."

Ex-Brighton & Hove Albion and Chelsea head coach Graham Potter is believed to have been considered for the role, while Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe was also linked with the position.

Lee Carsley has been in charge of the national side on an interim basis for their last four matches, with Gareth Southgate standing down as head coach after leading the team to the final of Euro 2024.