AFCON 2025
England captain Harry Kane has admitted he was “surprised” by the appointment of Thomas Tuchel as the new manager.
Tuchel replaced Gareth Southgate, who stepped down from his role after Euro 2024.
Kane has now said he “didn’t expect it” because he had never considered the former Bayern Munich boss as a national team coach. Tuchel is England’s third foreign manager, and the role marks his first at international level.
The German will be in charge until the 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada, and Mexico.
When asked about his reaction to the news that he would be reunited with Tuchel, Kane replied:
“I was surprised if I’m honest. Yeah, I didn’t expect it, and I guess I just hadn’t really thought of him as a national team coach.
“But yeah, once it was announced, I was really excited because I had the pleasure of working with him last year, and I know what he can bring.
“We know his pedigree and what he could bring to this type of squad that we have.”
England begin their World Cup qualifying round against Albania on Friday in Wembley.
