The vast majority of Express Sport readers believe the manager of the England national team should always be English. Thomas Tuchel is currently in charge of the Three Lions, having been appointed to replace Gareth Southgate following Euro 2024. He has only suffered two defeats since taking over, but many fans believe he should have never been considered in the first place.

The debate over whether the England manager should be English has raged since Sven-Goran Eriksson became the first foreign manager in 2001. Tuchel, who hails from Germany, is only the second non-English candidate to have ever been appointed. He is already confirmed to be staying in charge until Euro 2028, having signed a contract extension earlier this year.

Some supporters believe the job should go to the best candidate, regardless of nationality, while others are adamant that native managers should be chosen over their foreign counterparts.

Our latest poll revealed that the overwhelming majority of Express Sport readers fall into the latter category, with nearly 77 per cent of voters saying England should always have an English head coach.

Meanwhile, just 23 per cent of respondents said that nationality shouldn’t matter when it comes to managing the Three Lions.

There is still plenty of debate about Tuchel’s nationality and the fact that he does not sing God Save the King, because he feels the need to ‘earn’ the right to do so.

A year ago, former Manchester United and England captain Bryan Robson said that he wanted the FA to champion homegrown managers by considering them for the job ahead of foreign candidates.

“Nothing against Tuchel, but yes I’d like to see the job go to a young English manager,” he said. “Gareth Southgate did a great job when he was in charge.

“He had some really good young players and he utilised that. An English manager can do just as well as a foreign manager.

“And as a patriot of England, I would have gone with another English manager who you think is good enough to bring the best out of all the young players who we’ve got in the country.”

Michael Owen, the former England striker and Ballon d’Or winner, went a step further when he said: “I think [having a foreign coach] defeats the whole purpose of international football. It should be the best of what England has to offer against other nations.

“There’s no xenophobia about it at all. It’s just that’s what international football is. It’s our country against your country. And that should extend right through the squad.

“Whether you’re a masseur or a bus driver, or whatever your role is; it’s England’s best, because these things matter. It should be an Englishman.

“It should be English coaches. It should be English doctors. It should be English everything. That’s what it is. That’s international football, and that’s what it should be.”