Thomas Tuchel press conference LIVE: New England manager speaks after FA confirm appointment

Thomas Tuchel insists has has not made a decision yet as to whether he will sing the English national anthem.

The German was unveiled as the Three Lions boss at Wembley on Wednesday, becoming the third foreign head coach for the men’s team.

But, after the furore surrounding Lee Carsley’s decision to not sing the national anthem during his reign as interim manager, Tuchel was clear about his position.

FA Chief Executive Mark Bullingham on other candidates: “The whole process was confidential. I understand at times that may be frustrating for people but we had to make that confidential for us but also really, more importantly for the candidates.

“We interviewed approximately 10 people, we did interview some English candidates within that.”

Right at the start of the press conference Mark Bullingham thanked Lee Carsley for filling the gap between Gareth Southgate and Thomas Tuchel.

He siad: “We are also delighted that Ant [Anthony Barry] is joining us. He is one of the most exciting young English coaches around.

“I’d like to thank Lee Carlsey for stepping into role for six matches, he’s handled himself really well and I’m sure will continue to do so. He will manage the team for the November international window, and then return to lead the Under-21s trying to defend their Euro under-21 title.

“I’d also like to thank Gareth and Steve. The fact we had such a high level of interest in this role was testament to the foundations they laid over their eight years with us.”

“I did speak to no one. We kept it very confidential.” said the new England boss when asked if he reached out to England captain Harry Kane or former boss Gareth Southgate before taking on the role.

“I did not speak to Harry or Gareth. I never do this to get my own feelings for it and my own point of view. It’s too early to answer these questions.

“You know how highly I think of Harry and how hard I fought to bring him to Bayern Munich. He is already on his way to being a legend in English football.”

Tuchel says he will build on the vision and processes that Gareth Southgate put in place during his time at England boss and explained a few things he will try to develop.

Tuchel said: “The players have proved that they are there, the consistency is impressive, we have players who compete in the strongest league in the world every week.

“We have the ingredients and we fully trust that this is the moment to instal, from club football, patterns, behaviours and principles to push the team over the line.

“We will need luck also, but we feel confident. We speak openly about the target – the second star [on the shirt] – but I have to prove myself every day.”

Thomas Tuchel explained why he only signed a short term deal the with national team and explained, in a joking manner, that he has experience with 18-month deals.

“Let’s see, it’s 18 months, then we agreed to sit together,” said Tuchel when explaining his contract with England. “I have good experience with 18 months [laughs]. I’m working on my long-term game also.

“In this particular case it was important for me to have a frame around it as it’s a bit of a step into the dark for me as I’m used to working every day [with players].

“The last piece of it from me to understand that this is something that can really excite me to the fullest was the timeframe of 18-months but to demand from myself to not lose the focus. It’s a good timeframe because it will help us focus. It is very streamlined.

“I can understand some people would prefer an English coach but I think we deserve a fair chance, for having a good record in the country and for how much we love living in this country.

“We’ll try to convince them through results.”

FA CEO Mark Bullingham spoke about the ‘uncomfortable truth’ that Thomas Tuchel isn’t English.

He said: “We were also very clear that we wanted the very best person for the job and we feel like we owe it to the players and the country to give them that support and leadership in tournaments that will help them get over the line, to give us the best chance of winning a trophy in the men’s World Cup.

“We feel we’ve done that. We feel delighted that Thomas has joined us.”

Tuchel says he and the FA have a ‘shared vision’ for the national team and that he always wanted to return to coaching in England.

He said: “They made it clear it’s about football and that got me excited. I wasn’t sure this was the job for me because the schedule is very different. I always wanted to come back to England, that was my big goal.

“The offer came at the right time and we found a vision to share. Now I have to live up to it. I know there are some trophies and I want to help that happen.”

“Gareth Southgate and the FA did a fantastic job.” said Thomas Tuchel when speaking about his predecessor.

“Look at the results of the tournaments. The youth teams win titles and the women’s team. We are there. The federation is there. We will build on what Gareth built and add a little extra to get it over the line.”