Gary Neville makes big Eddie Howe claim as Newcastle United manager is overlooked for England role
The new England manager was confirmed on Wednesday afternoon as Thomas Tuchel was named as new Three Lions boss.
Gary Neville has described Eddie Howe as an ‘outstanding candidate’ to take charge of England after the Newcastle United manager was overlooked in the race to become permanent successor to Gareth Southgate.
For only the third time in history, the Football Association has opted to appoint a foreign manager after Thomas Tuchel put pen-to-paper on an 18-month deal that will officially get underway in January. The German follows in the footsteps of Swedish boss Sven Goran-Eriksson and Italian Fabio Capello as he takes charge of the men’s national team. Interim manager Lee Carsley will oversee a Nations League double header with Greece and Republic of Ireland next month before returning to take charge of the Under-21s as they prepare for their defence of their European Championships win.
In a press conference held at Wembley on Wednesday afternoon to confirm Tuchel’s appointment, Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham confirmed the governing body held interviews with ten different candidates before opting to appoint the former Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea manager - but stopped short of naming any party he spoke during that process.
Former Manchester United and England defender Neville, who played under Eriksson and was named in one squad under Capello prior to his retirement, believes the job overseen by Southgate has ‘restored an element of faith in English coaching’ and expressed his surprise the likes of Graham Potter and Magpies boss Howe were overlooked by the Football Association.
He told Sky Sports: “I was supportive 20-odd years ago when we appointed Sven Goran-Eriksson but at the end of that period I came to the conclusion that the damage to English coaches was significant and changed my mind. Gareth (Southgate) has restored an element of faith in English coaching and players, he has done a great job, but we have chosen to go down a different route now and there are some difficult questions for the FA to answer. What the FA has done does not seem like a strategic decision, it feels like a instinctive decision in light of what’s gone on recently. I think there are some serious questions for the FA to answer in terms of English coaching.”
He continued: “Accepting that Thomas Tuchel is better than any of the other English candidates but with the likes of Graham Potter that have managed in the higher echelons of the Premier League. We’ve got Eddie Howe currently at Newcastle. I do think there are outstanding candidates that could’ve been appointed that were English.”