Thomas Tuchel has been told he has enough talent to lead England to World Cup glory.
Tuchel will take charge of the Three Lions at the start of 2025, after signing an 18-month deal with the FA. FA bosses chose Tuchel – with the sole intention of the German going on to land the biggest prize of all.
And interim manager Lee Carsley is convinced the current crop of players have enough ability to conquer the world in 2026. The likes of Cole Palmer, Jarrad Branthwaite, Levi Colwill, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Angel Gomes, Curtis Jones, Anthony Gordon and Noni Madueke were all part of the U21 squad which won the European Championships in 2023 under Carsley.
Carsley handed full debuts to Jones, Lewis Hall and Morgan Rogers in England’s 3-0 thumping of Greece in Athens on Thursday night. The win was one of the most impressive the Three Lions have achieved in the last 12 months.
And Carsley believes there is no reason why England can’t follow the likes of Spain and Germany before them, in using the same players to go on and win the World Cup in America, Canada and South America. Carsley said: “We’ve seen a lot of these young players in the past, but to get an opportunity to play and to be as exciting and attacking as they were is good to watch.
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“They’ve put themselves in a really good position. We spoke about the amount of players who weren’t here, but the focus has been on the ones who are here. It’s given six or seven an opportunity to experience that kind of atmosphere. They’ve done themselves a lot of good.
“We want to see a side that’s attacking, playing with energy, enthusiasm and creating chances, and we had that in Greece. They’ve won at under-18 level as well as under-20 – and I think it definitely helps. We’ve seen that with Germany in the past, and with Spain, so why can’t that be England?”