Roy Keane’s six-word verdict on Thomas Tuchel speaks volumes after England deal

Roy Keane offered a glowing review of Thomas Tuchel long before he was appointed England’s next manager. Tuchel will become just the third foreign coach to take charge of the Three Lions when his 18-month contract begins on January 1.

His first experience of English football came at Chelsea, whom he led to Champions League glory within the first six months of his tenure. The bar was therefore set high for his first full season in charge, which resulted in a third-placed finish in the Premier League.

It wasn’t all positive for the German coach, who struggled to get the best out of £97million signing Romelu Lukaku and had the chaos of Roman Abramovich’s ownership coming to an abrupt end. But Keane was highly complimentary of his efforts in the Stamford Bridge dugout.

After the conclusion of the 2021/22 campaign, the former Manchester United argued “he is a top-quality manager”. Keane told Sky Bet: “There has obviously been loads of uncertainty over the club the last few months, that has been sorted out now obviously with the new ownership coming in.

“I’m pretty sure again he [Tuchel] will be able to bring some players in. He is a top-quality manager, he has dealt with a lot of issues over the last few months. Ultimately it was a disappointing end to the season for them.”

Tuchel was widely praised for his handling of the club during the turbulence of Abramovich’s last months at the helm. Russia’s assault on Ukraine in February 2022 forced Abramovich to step back, with Tuchel becoming the de-facto voice of Chelsea.

Despite a then-record-breaking £255.3m splurge in the Premier League summer transfer market under their new owners, Tuchel was shockingly sacked a matter of weeks into the new season. After waving goodbye, Tuchel took the reins at German giants Bayern Munich, where he claimed Bundesliga glory.

He faced sterner tests in the following season against an undefeated Bayer Leverkusen managed by Xabi Alonso and a formidable VFB Stuttgart outfit. Although Bayern’s domestic form wavered, Tuchel propelled them to the Champions League semi-finals, only to be ousted in a contentious tie with the eventual champions, Real Madrid.

Tuchel, out of a role since the end of last season, was linked with Manchester United as they mulled over Erik ten Hag’s future in the summer. However, it was the Football Association who ultimately persuaded him to sign on the dotted line.

In this morning’s announcement, Tuchel said: “I am very proud to have been given the honour of leading the England team. I have long felt a personal connection to the game in this country, and it has given me some incredible moments already.

“To have the chance to represent England is a huge privilege, and the opportunity to work with this special and talented group of players is very exciting.

“Working closely with Anthony [Barry] as my assistant coach, we will do everything we can to make England successful and the supporters proud. I want to thank the FA, in particular Mark and John, for their trust and I am looking forward to starting our journey together.”