Thomas Tuchel is one of the best and most successful football managers in the world – but not everybody is happy that he’s the head coach of the England men’s national team. Ex-England captain Bryan Robson and former goalscoring hero Michael Owen both believe that Tuchel should not be in charge, and that a man born on these shores should be instead. Owen went as far to say all the backroom staff should be English too.

So as Tuchel oversees the final preparations for the World Cup in the USA, where he looks to become the second manager ever to deliver international glory to this country after Sir Alf Ramsey in 1966, we asked the question – should the England manager be English? Our sports writers have their say below…

Charlie Malam

No. In an ideal world, would an English manager lead England to glory? Sure. But the best English managers right now are Eddie Howe and Frank Lampard. With respect to both, neither hold a candle to Thomas Tuchel.

Whenever Tuchel’s reign ends, England should simply target the best available manager. If that’s Lampard, great. If it’s Xabi Alonso, great. Winning tournaments has to be the priority over the manager’s nationality.

Who cares where Tuchel is from if he wins the World Cup this summer?

Dan Burnham

My verdict – Who cares? If the best available manager was green and had three eyes I’d want him in charge of England. And anyway, ultimately there’s only so much a manager can influence.

Success is primarily down to the quality – both individually and as a team – on the pitch. Why should we make our chances of winning something even slimmer by limiting the pool of options when we already struggle enough to end 60 years of hurt as it is?

John Cross

No. Ideally, the England manager should be English. And I have flipped-flopped down the years between thinking whether it matters or not.

In my view, Fabio Capello saw it as a meal ticket. He was past his peak and did not really invest any energy into learning the language or embracing the culture. That pushed me in the direction of thinking England must have an English manager.

But Thomas Tuchel is a good counterargument. He is committed, takes the job seriously and sees it as a responsibility – not just a big fat contract.

It is a sorry state of affairs that St George’s Park and the FA’s pathway cannot produce an English manager good enough. But while there are no rules saying what nationality must be, just go for the best man.

Jack McEachen

I wouldn’t proclaim to be a die-hard nationalist, but I do believe that in international football, it should be a battle of one country against another. In this modern era, coaches are as important as players. Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola have shown us as much in the Premier League this season.

So why should player eligibility rules not extend to coaches? Where do we draw the line? You could argue that your manager is more important than your left-back. But Lewis Hall had to be born in Slough and England are able to buy their way to a top-class coach like Thomas Tuchel.

No English manager has ever won the Premier League. And we wonder why. There is no incentive for the FA to bring through English coaches, but perhaps if it were a requirement for each country to employ a manager that qualifies the same way a player would, it wouldn’t cost an arm and a leg to do your coaching badges here. The England manager should be English, but the same rule should apply to every country at the World Cup this summer.

Archie Griggs

I couldn’t care less where the England manager comes from as long as they are the right person for the job. That’s how it should be, right? Why does it matter?

I know that a few people, including Michael Owen, were opposed to Thomas Tuchel taking charge because of his German nationality. I suppose they won’t be celebrating if England win the World Cup this summer, then, because that would be very hypocritical of them!

Amie Wilson

As long as the manager leads England to success in a major tournament, I don’t care what nationality he is. If we want to break the hoo-do, then surely we need the best of the best in charge, no matter where he is from?

Look at the Lionesses’ success under Sarina Wiegman; there is no talk that she is not English, because she has brought success to the team.

Hopefully that will be the case for Tuchel and the men’s team in a few months’ time.

Harry Brent

While an English manager is a nice sentiment, making nationality a prerequisite is a logical slippery slope. If we bar foreign managers, do we also bar foreign assistants, physios, analysts, or kit staff? Where does that line of “Englishness” actually end?

There is nothing immoral or unpatriotic about hiring the best in class; seeking the best available talent isn’t cheating – it’s common sense, particularly when there aren’t any rules in place that say otherwise.

The FA should absolutely support the development of young English coaches, but the senior national job shouldn’t be an affirmative action project. We must prioritise excellence over a passport. Provide domestic coaches with the tools to succeed, but it’s up to them to prove they’re the best in class. If they’re unable to do that, then they simply don’t deserve the job.

Jack Flintham

If England sticked solely to appointing English managers, we would have a small pool to choose from. Eddie Howe is the only realistic option if we were to stick with English coaches but you can’t argue his CV is better than Tuchel’s. Instead of ensuring every head coach is English, I would rather the FA went down the route of appointing managers through their system.

Gareth Southgate transitioned from the under-21s to the seniors and that was the most successful stint this century. Lee Carsley was the next person on the conveyor belt but Tuchel was preferred. I fear if England do poorly this summer, Tuchel will be blamed because he is German but, in reality, the nationality of the head coach means nothing. Results are what matters.