‘Fantastic coach’ – Harry Kane breaks silence on Thomas Tuchel as he closes in on England manager’s job

HARRY KANE has spoken out about Thomas Tuchel with the former Chelsea boss closing in on taking over as England manager.

Three Lions captain Kane has heralded Tuchel as a “fantastic coach” amid the speculation.

Kane, who played under Tuchel last season with Bayern Munich, told Sky Sports: “Until it’s announced obviously I can’t really comment, but we have to wait and see.

“Obviously, I know Thomas well from last year. Fantastic coach, fantastic person, so I am sure the guys at the FA will contact me, when they know more about it.”

Tuchel is understood to be in advanced talks with the FA over becoming the long-term successor to Gareth Southgate.

No deal has been agreed with the 51-year-old coach yet but talks are expected to continue over the next 24 hours.

Tuchel, who has been without a job since he was sacked by Bayern Munich in the summer, would become England’s third overseas boss should he be appointed.

The German would follow in the footsteps of Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello.

Tuchel began his managerial career with FC Ausburg II before earning a spot in the dugouts at some of Europe’s biggest teams – including Chelsea, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain.

His time at Stamford Bridge saw him guide the Blues to the 2021 Champions League title.

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Tuchel is familiar with England captain Kane having been the man who signed him for Bayern last summer.

Despite Tuchel ultimately losing his job, the tactician helped Kane to his best ever goalscoring season.

The 31-year-old bagsman netted an astonishing 44 times in 45 games last term, winning the Bundesliga Golden Boot as Bayern missed out on the title.

In fact, Kane boasts his best ever minutes-per-goal ratio under Tuchel compared to any of his other managers – netting once every 89 minutes under his former boss.

Lee Carsley was initially appointed as England’s interim manager but he has not been seen as a suitable candidate.

The former England U21s boss failed to impress when England were on the receiving end of a 2-1 defeat to Greece last week under his management.

While he himself has claimed that the Three Lions deserve a “world-class coach who has won trophies” and that he is “still on the path to that” after England’s 3-1 win over Finland on Sunday.

Execs at the FA are also understood to have sounded out the idea of hiring Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola as well as Newcastle gaffer Eddie Howe.

However, Guardiola is thought to be committed to Man City for the time being and Howe’s contract with Newcastle promoted concerns for the FA over the size of a potential compensation payout.

England’s next two games in the Nations League, when Tuchel could be in charge, are against Greece and Ireland next month.

Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk