Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher makes feelings clear on Thomas Tuchel managing England

Thomas Tuchel is reportedly in advanced talks to become the new England manager. .

The last time made a permanent appointment, it turned to Gareth Southgate, a man whose entire club experience consisted of three mixed years at Middlesbrough that ended in relegation from the and subsequent dismissal. Tuchel could hardly present a more marked contrast, having enjoyed spells at Borussia Dortmund, and most recently .

That does not always translate to international success, and Southgate did well with England despite his relatively meager prior career (although given the players at his disposal, he probably should have won something). Moreover, Tuchel has had a tendency to see his spells end prematurely and acrimoniously, with board disagreements seemingly common.

On the plus side, he'd have his work cut out to fall out over transfers at international level, where reports that the FA is now close to striking an accord. But and have previously expressed sentiment that English managers are uniquely placed to excel in the national team job.

"I'm not a believer in foreign managers managing England," shortly after Southgate's decision to step aside. "It's nothing against foreigners — what foreign managers and players have done to the Premier League is amazing. It's basically made what our league is today which is the envy of the world.

"But we're not an emerging nation, we're England and I know we've only won one trophy but other countries on our level — Italy, Spain, Germany — they don't have foreign managers. We don't need a foreign manager, we've done it before.

"I was involved in those times under Sven [Goran-Eriksson] and Fabio Capello — it wasn't great. Not a patch on what Gareth Southgate's done."

Neville, for his part, said that appointing a foreign boss would undermine the logic of investing in St George's Park and committing to the development of elite English coaches. But he conceded that an elite candidate — he name-checked and — would need to be considered very carefully.

Carragher also suggested that tactics can often play a less significant part in knockout football on the international stage, with coaches facing less time to prepare and greater emphasis on making sure their players are mentally ready. This was a strength of Southgate's when at his best, and some will wonder whether a foreign manager could motivate so effectively.

However, rejecting Tuchel in favor of an English candidate would be a huge decision too, assuming the German is indeed open to taking the role. The FA will struggle to find a more qualified option.

Liverpool.com says: With the greatest will in the world to Carragher, we disagree here. It's one thing if there is a language barrier, but provided the coach can communicate clearly, nationality should not come into it as a significant factor.

It's true that elements like motivation come into it more in international tournament football, with coaches deprived of the hours on the training ground to put complex plans in place. But competent tacticians can still get teams to punch above their weight.

Look at Austria's journey this summer. Coached by a German, Ralf Rangnick, it ventured deep into Euro 2024 thanks to a clear playing style into which the players had all bought.

The England job is bigger, of course, and expectations are higher. For the next coach, success has to mean winning a trophy. But Tuchel surely brings a better chance of that than any current English candidate.