IN TUCHEL WE TRUST

England have turned to a German in their quest to win the World Cup - the heat of a North American summer means it will be far from easy, but as far as players past and present are concerned, there's no doubting Thomas

- Words Chris Flanagan Additional reporting Joe Donnohue, Ed McCambridge

Since the World Cup first began, 96 years ago, no manager has ever lifted the trophy with a country that wasn't their own.

Only two have reached the final – Englishman George Raynor with Sweden in 1958, and Austrian Ernst Happel with the Netherlands 20 years later.

Widen it out to the semifinals, and you'll still find just five more names – Hungarian Jozsef Nagy (Sweden, 1938), Dutchman Guus Hiddink (South Korea, 2002), Spaniard Roberto Martinez (Belgium, 2018), plus Brazilian duo Otto Gloria and Luiz Felipe Scolari (Portugal, 1966 and 2006).

Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello never managed to join the list in their time as England gaffers, but Thomas Tuchel wants to add his name to it this summer. German managers have won a major international trophy on seven occasions since an Englishman last did so. Sixty years of hurt – Euro 96 and its famous Three Lions song now as close to 1966 as it is to today. Inevitably, it was a German manager, Berti Vogts, who denied England 30 years ago, too.

Eventually, the FA decided that if you can't beat them, get them to join you. After so many hard luck stories and near misses, will Tuchel be England's wild card this summer?

LITTLE HOTEL ON THE PRAIRIE

The 52-year-old's record in the closing stages of tournaments provides hope that he could be – guiding PSG to their first Champions League final in 2020, then winning the trophy with Chelsea a year later against all expectations.

Gareth Southgate did a fine job during his eight years with England, taking the Three Lions to the first two Euros finals of their history, but he was accused of being found wanting tactically at crucial junctures – particularly when mid-match alterations were needed.