Wayne Rooney has weighed into the debate over Thomas Tuchel's future as England head coach, saying the Football Association should stick with the German unless Pep Guardiola can be lured to the job. Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show, the former England captain argued there is no one else of Tuchel's calibre on the market – but made an exception for the ex-Manchester City manager.
"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," Rooney said. "I think he is a top-class manager and what the top managers do, they learn from the mistakes and they improve and get better. If we sack him, what managers are we going to bring in? I don't think there's anyone out there who's as good as Thomas Tuchel, unless Guardiola."
“Wayne Rooney says FA should keep Thomas Tuchel as England boss unless Pep Guardiola is available.”
Tuchel has retained the backing of the FA despite England's 2-1 World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina, a game in which they squandered a 1-0 lead and Tuchel's substitutions were criticised. Rooney pointed to a lack of World Cup experience as a factor. "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 to win the World Cup, and signed a two-year contract extension in February. The FA approached Guardiola before appointing Tuchel, with reports of a verbal agreement. Rooney questioned the timing of the extension: "I think the FA told us that Thomas Tuchel was coming in to win the World Cup and take us to the next level. 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."
Tuchel's squad selection was also a source of debate. He left out Trent Alexander-Arnold, Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Morgan Gibbs-White and Adam Wharton, instead picking Jordan Henderson, Trevoh Chalobah and Ivan Toney. Rooney believes choosing players who are just "happy around the camp" was detrimental.
The criticism of Tuchel extends beyond squad selection. After Anthony Gordon's goal, England retreated into a familiar pattern described by the phrase "when in doubt, kick it out" – a cultural quirk Tuchel had promised to exorcise. The Mirror's Patrick Austen-Hardy wrote: "Tuchel spent enough time with Chelsea to understand these anxieties. He promised to exorcise them by invigorating 'excitement and hunger to win' in a side 'more afraid to drop out of the tournament'. Why didn't he do this in Atlanta?"
Rooney's verdict leaves the FA with a clear choice: stick with Tuchel or make a move for Guardiola. For now, Tuchel remains under contract until summer 2028, and has said he intends to lead England into Euro 2028.
