Former Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain manager is set to be appointed England boss, with the German becoming just the third non-English manager in history

Thomas Tuchel is set to become the new England manager and the former Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss has already made his thoughts clear on a number of Three Lions stars.

Tuchel will replace Gareth Southgate after he stood down following England's 2-1 defeat to Spain in the final of Euro 2024. The German will become just the third non-English manager in history after Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello.

And Tuchel comes in as the "world class coach that has won trophies" that interim boss Lee Carsley said should get the job last weekend, having won league titles with Bayern and Paris Saint-Germain and the Champions League with Chelsea.

With all that in mind, Mirror Football has taken a look at what Tuchel has previously said about five England players.

When asked about working with Kane last season, Tuchel told bundesliga.com : "It's just a gift, I feel very privileged to be his coach. The guy is super humble, he's the first out there on the pitch every single day and anything you ask of him, he will do it.

"He's a huge personality who becomes a shark on the field, because he wants to score, he wants to win, and he does it on a daily basis. He doesn't only score on a daily basis, he trains well, he does what is needed, he shows his quality.

"He calms everyone down around him and makes everyone better by his pure presence. It's the highest level, I can put it like this, as a human being but also as a footballer. He's a very different profile to all of my other players. He can play as a nine, a fox in the box like no other with outstanding finishing, but he also assists."

Tuchel is a huge fan of England captain Harry Kane ( Image:

Speaking ahead of the 2021 Champions League final when he was in charge at Chelsea, Tuchel was asked about Foden and then Blues star Mason Mount. "They are an example of how good these young players can be, how good young players from England can be," he replied.

"They are the outstanding examples at the moment. I can't speak for Phil Foden because he is not my player, but you can see clearly that he has the talent and desire to decide games at any moment at any level. He is a huge player and I get the impression that he is the same nice guy and character as Mason.

"Most importantly, they are hungry and humble. They behave exactly how you want players their age to behave. They want to learn, they want to get better, and it seems like they don't feel the pressure which is pretty amazing."

Tuchel could get the best out of Phil Foden ( Image:

And Tuchel is also a huge fan of the midfielder, telling TNT Sports ahead of Bayern's Champions League semi-final clash with Madrid last year: "Jude is extraordinary. He was fantastic here in the Bundesliga, how he progressed shows the level of personality he has, it's only possible with a huge personality.

"Everyone who plays for Madrid plays with the pressure of the shirt. He plays with the pressure to play with this club and all the expectations. He handles it like he's never done anything else."

What remains to be seen is how Tuchel decides to use Bellingham, who started his career in central midfield but has thrived in a more attacking role under Carlo Ancelotti in Madrid.

Jude Bellingham remains a key player for England ( Image:

When asked about Guehi's first season at Palace the following year, Tuchel said: "It's a fantastic development and it's very hard to know if we kept him what would've happened. Maybe he needed a change, a different club, a bigger role, more minutes to develop his full potential.

"It just tells you over and over again that if you trust younger players, have a role for them, they can on a regular level match your expectations and even over-perform. It's a decision we took together and we are happy with these decisions. I am happy with these decisions and it was the right thing to do given the circumstances."

Guehi has since become an England regular and impressed alongside John Stones at the Euros, meaning Tuchel will have a decision to make in defence ahead of the next major tournament in 2026.

Marc Guehi shone for England at the Euros ( Image:

However, the appointment of Tuchel could be a major boost for James, who was a huge fan of the defender during their time together at Chelsea. Tuchel used James both as a wing-back and on the right of a back three and even went as far as to say he wanted to clone him so he could play both positions at the same time.

"I would love to have two of Reece James, that would solve the problem, it's like 50% towards wing-back and 45% towards the back three," Tuchel said in 2022. "It depends a little bit on how the opponent plays against us."

It remains to be seen how Tuchel will set England up, but it would not be a surprise to see James become a regular starter under him provided the 24-year-old can remain fully fit.