Home » Harry Kane ‘surprised’ England appointed Tuchel as coach

Harry Kane ‘surprised’ England appointed Tuchel as coach

Harry Kane admitted he was “surprised” when he heard that Thomas Tuchel had been appointed as England manager in October.

Visit SportsMania for more football news and updates.

Check out M88 Mansion’s best offers here.

Kane “surprised” at England hiring Tuchel

Tuchel became England’s third foreign manager after signing an 18-month deal.

The German boss will lead the Three Lions through the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

He left at the end of last season when Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen beat Bayern Munich to the Bundesliga title.

Kane began his first season in Bavaria in 2023-24 after joining Bayern from Tottenham Hotspur on the eve of the campaign.

Kane said Tuchel’s appointment surprised him, as he did not expect to reunite with him in England.

“I was surprised if I’m honest. Yeah, didn’t expect it. I guess I just wasn’t really thinking of him as a national team coach,” he said.

“But yeah, once it was announced, I was really excited because obviously I had the pleasure of working with him last year and I know what he can bring. I knew what he could bring to this type of squad that we have.

“And obviously we’ve only been together a few days, but it hasn’t disappointed. He’s bringing us up to what I thought he would. And I think camp after camp, as he settles in, as we get to know him more, I think we’ll improve as we go. But ultimately is about building up until next year and these are important camps to do that.”

New dynamics within the team

During Gareth Southgate’s tenure as manager, he relied heavily on a core group of trusted players for leadership.

Key figures such as Kyle Walker, Jordan Henderson, and Harry Maguire supported Kane in senior roles within the team.

However, the star forward said that Tuchel has not yet formed a new leadership group.

“It hasn’t officially been formed yet a leadership group, but obviously you have myself and you have Hendo, you have Kyle. Obviously Dan’s [Dan Burn] coming into his first camp, but I think Dan’s seen as a leader in his role.

“And then we have the likes of Dec [Declan Rice] and Jude [Bellingham] and players like that who even though they’re younger, have a responsibility to show those leadership qualities as well.”

“So yeah, it hasn’t been spoke about a lot. I’m sure we will over the next few days as well. And I think with Thomas and with Ant [England assistant coach Anthony Barry] especially, the conversations will continue once we’re away from camp as well up until the June camp and they’re just those type of people that I think the communication will be quite frequent.”

Tuchel will debut as England head coach when the Three Lions face Albania in World Cup qualifiers on Friday.