Wayne Rooney's Take on Thomas Tuchel's Future with England
Wayne Rooney believes the Football Association should stay the course with Thomas Tuchel – unless the game’s most coveted coach suddenly comes into play.
For the former England captain, there is only one name worth ripping up the current plan for: Pep Guardiola.
Tuchel remains in position after England’s 2-1 World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina on Wednesday, a night when a controlled 1-0 lead unravelled late on and his substitutions drew fierce scrutiny. The German has made it clear he intends to continue and lead the Three Lions into Euro 2028, and the FA has publicly backed him to do so.
Rooney, though, drew a sharp line between loyalty and opportunity.
“I don't see anyone else out there at the minute, unless you go and get Pep Guardiola. If Pep is available, then maybe you go and get him,” he said on The Wayne Rooney Show, underlining just how short the list of alternatives is in his eyes.
He stressed his admiration for Tuchel, describing him as “a top-class manager” and highlighting one of the traits that keeps elite coaches at the top.
“What the top managers do, they learn from the mistakes and they improve and get better,” Rooney said. For him, that is precisely why a knee-jerk reaction to a single tournament exit would be misguided.
The core of Rooney’s argument is simple: if Tuchel goes, who genuinely improves England?
“If we sack him, what managers are we going to bring in? And I don't think there's anyone out there who's as good as Thomas Tuchel, unless Guardiola,” he added.
There is, however, a concern that lingers for Rooney – and it is not about tactics or personality. It is about tournament scars.
“But the big thing for me is he's not experienced at World Cups. We had the exact same with [Fabio] Capello. The World Cup is different and you need to feel that environment and now he's felt it.”
Tuchel was appointed in January 2025 on an 18-month mission explicitly framed around winning the World Cup. That brief was sharpened in February when he signed a two-year contract extension, taking him beyond the tournament he was hired to conquer.
The timing of that deal still jars with Rooney.
“I think the FA told us that Thomas Tuchel was coming in to win the World Cup and take us to the next level,” he said. “It's a little bit strange if its priority was to win the World Cup, but then you get a two-year contract before you actually go to the World Cup. That's a bit strange.”
The FA had already flirted with the Guardiola dream before Tuchel’s arrival. They approached the then-Manchester City manager prior to appointing the German, with reports of a verbal agreement in place that ultimately never materialised.
That history colours Rooney’s stance now. For him, Tuchel remains the best realistic option, battle-hardened by a brutal semi-final exit and better equipped for the next major tournament because of it.
But if Guardiola ever re-enters the conversation, Rooney’s message to the FA is blunt: hesitate, and England might miss the one coach he believes truly changes everything.
