Gary Neville has long held the belief that the England national team manager should always be English, but even he admits there’s one exception: Pep Guardiola.
While Thomas Tuchel has been appointed to lead the Three Lions into the 2026 World Cup, Neville isn’t thrilled with the FA’s decision to bring in a non-English coach. Speaking as a Sky Sports pundit, the former right-back, who earned 85 caps for England, expressed his disappointment, arguing that hiring a foreign manager harms both the national identity and the development of English coaches. He feels domestic talents like Eddie Howe or Graham Potter should have been considered instead.
Despite his firm stance on the issue, Neville confessed he would break his own rule for Guardiola, the Manchester City manager who has transformed English football since his arrival in 2016. Neville believes the Spaniard’s influence on the game in England is so profound that he’d be worth bending the rules for.
“I said this when Fabio Capello left England – I was in a couple of squads with Fabio Capello, and I was obviously with Sven Goran Eriksson before that,” Neville explained on the It’s Called Soccer! YouTube channel. “English coaches take a battering for 25-30 years. English coaches do not get promoted in our own league that easily anymore because we are an international league now.”
Neville argues that by appointing foreign coaches, the FA is not only damaging England’s coaching system but also weakening the national football identity. Yet, when it comes to Guardiola, Neville believes the Manchester City boss is a game-changer.
“The one coach I think you would be worth breaking that rule for is Pep Guardiola,” Neville admitted. “What he would do for English football would be something quite dramatic.”
Guardiola has been a revolutionary force in the Premier League, leading City to six league titles, four of them consecutively, along with a Champions League victory. Many regard him as one of the greatest managers in football history, and Neville sees him as an exception to his rule.
Tuchel, on the other hand, doesn’t inspire the same confidence. Despite the German’s impressive resume, including a Champions League triumph with Chelsea in 2021, Neville feels his connection to English football pales in comparison to Guardiola’s.
“I don’t see the same [with Tuchel],” Neville said. “Tuchel might come in, win a tournament, and we could be grateful in a few years for his work. But something inside me says it’s not quite right, and it doesn’t feel right that Thomas Tuchel would be the manager of England.”
For Neville, Guardiola’s long-term influence and deep connection to the English game make him the only non-English coach worth breaking tradition for. As for Tuchel, Neville simply doesn’t feel the same impact.
“For me, Pep is the only coach in the world right now that I would break my rule for. I’m not sure I’d do that for Tuchel,” he concluded.
