Thomas Tuchel is not going anywhere. With Manchester United about to take one international manager out of his job, England's head coach was asked the obvious question and gave a flat answer: he has no intention of leaving before Euro 2028, whatever a big club might offer.
No release clause, no escape route
The timing is what made it news. United have sacked Michael Carrick and are in advanced talks with Mauricio Pochettino, who coaches the USA men's team. To get him they will have to trigger a release clause in his contract, believed to be worth around £7m. Tuchel's deal has nothing like that in it. He said so himself, and said he doesn't plan to walk away to return to club management.
He took over from Gareth Southgate in January 2025 and signed an extension in February that runs to the end of the next European Championship, which England will co-host. "We have unfinished business," he said. He signed the contract, he wants the Euros, and that was more or less the whole argument.
You can see what he means. England lost the last two Euros finals under Southgate. Tuchel's first major tournament was this summer's World Cup, and he took them to the semi-finals. Close again. Not close enough.
He does miss club football, though
The commitment came with a caveat about what happens afterwards. Tuchel has managed Bayern Munich, Chelsea and Paris St-Germain, and he said plainly that he will go back to club football once the England contract is finished. He misses playing 50 matches a season.
What he misses most is oddly specific. It is the two minutes before kick-off, when the preparation is finished and there is nothing left to do but walk out into a full stadium under the lights. He called them the best two minutes. International football offers far fewer of those nights, and you could hear that it isn't enough for him. But it sounded like a man describing 2028 onwards, not next month.
Croatia tonight, Spain on Sunday
There's a job in front of him anyway. England are second in their Nations League group with two matches left. Croatia come to Wembley tonight and then England go to Madrid on Sunday to play Spain, who lead the group and happen to be world champions.
Tonight could carry a bit of history as well. Jobe Bellingham is in the squad and uncapped, and if he plays alongside his brother Jude they would be the first siblings to appear together for England since 2007. For a coach who says he is staying to finish something, a new midfielder with that surname is not a bad place to start.
Contract context: Thomas Tuchel has been England head coach since January 2025. He signed an extension in February that runs to Euro 2028, and says it has no release clause. England v Croatia, Wembley, Thursday 12 November; Spain v England, Madrid, Sunday 15 November.
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