PSYCHO THRILLER

Talking head Pearce excited to see how far Tuchel can take his 'tough nuts to crack'

- JOHN CROSS

STUART PEARCE insists England's players must seize a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to win the World Cup.

And the Three Lions icon says "fantastic" Thomas Tuchel can be the man to lead them to glory in the United States this summer.

Pearce is remembered as an England great and won 78 caps but only went to one World Cup, where he suffered semi-final heartbreak at Italia 90 when he missed in the shoot-out defeat to West Germany.

While people assume Pearce is a tub-thumping Englishman, the former Nottingham Forest left-back - nicknamed Psycho for his hard-man reputation - insists he believes Tuchel can provide the extra yard to get them over the line.

Pearce, 64, now a media pundit, said: "I'm excited.

"If I put my mind back as a player, coach or as a manager, you are nervous because you hope there are no injuries to key players.

"From an individual point of view, I was an international for 12 years but I only went to one World Cup, so they come round quite rarely.

"The players should be looking forward to this.

"It's a fantastic opportunity and even for me, working on the media side, it's exciting times.