ENGLAND ARE HOPING FOR A TOUCH OF CLASS

Pressure is on Three Lions boss to bring home the World Cup

- By ANDY DUNN

WHEN Thomas Tuchel was hired as England manager, his brief was simple and exciting.

Here are 18 months and £7.5m in wages, now win us the World Cup.

After that, perhaps the Football Association would go back to trying to get an English coach for the English national team.

For all the money invested in St George's Park and a coaching pathway, that would not be too much to ask.

But in the intervening time, the goalposts have moved.

Tuchel is a charmer, there is no doubt about that. And a high-profile character.

He has a Champions League to his name, a Bundesliga and a couple of league titles in France. He was named The Best FIFA Coach in 2021.

Gareth Southgate brought a bit of homeliness and sensible-dad vibes to the gig, Tuchel brings some stardust, a super-coach feel.

He might not be English, but he is a big name for a big job.

And having a big name for the big job is what the FA wants when they prepare for Euro 2028, a lot of which will be played in England.

So, the original plan of action was torn up and 52-year-old Tuchel was given a new deal extending through to the summer of 2028.

Heading into this World Cup, that new deal raises a few issues and creates some intriguing talking points. Most observers thought the short-term arrangement would suit Tuchel.

A quick, lucrative hit with England and then back to club football, almost certainly in one of the marquee jobs that get rotated to such an extent that Jose Mourinho is back at Real Madrid.

But Tuchel has clearly enjoyed doing the England job. He said recently that - far from being The Impossible Job - it was 'a lot of fun!'

And why wouldn't he be enjoying it?