Thomas Tuchel refused to answer a question in German at his first England squad announcement.
Tuchel fielded questions at St George’s Park on Friday morning after naming his first Three Lions squad.
The former Chelsea, PSG and Borussia Dortmund manager, who was appointed by England following Sir Gareth Southgate’s resignation, offered his thoughts on the squad and explained some of the more controversial selections.
At one point, a reporter from German broadcaster ARD asked Tuchel what he has learned since taking over at the start of January and requested he responded in his native German tongue.
‘Good morning, I understand I’m asking the question in English but if you could answer in English and in German I will waive my second question,’ the journalist said.
But Tuchel denied the request following a quick glance at his media officer, saying: ‘I would like to do it just in English out of respect to where we are and all the others [reporters] here.
‘What have I learned? Every day I am more happy that I took the decision to come here and was given the chance to manage the England squad.
‘We’ve had a good start together – me and the federation – but also with the coaching staff and the players.
‘Communication is more difficult than in club football but we are all very excited to get on the pitch together.’
England fans enjoyed Tuchel’s response, with one saying the 51-year-old clearly ‘gets it’.
Thomas Tuchel’s first England squad
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Southampton), James Trafford (Burnley)
Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Reece James (Chelsea), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Myles Lewis-Skelly (Arsenal), Tino Livramento (Newcastle United), Jarell Quansah (Liverpool), Kyle Walker (AC Milan, loan from Manchester City)
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Jordan Henderson (Ajax), Curtis Jones (Liverpool), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)
Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham United), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Marcus Rashford (Aston Villa, loan from Manchester United), Dominic Solanke (Tottenham Hotspur)
Another posted on X: ‘Love the fact Thomas Tuchel refused to answer a question in his press conference in German.’
Asked how it has felt to be head coach of England as a German, Tuchel added: ‘Exciting and a bit surreal.
‘It’s a big honour and I’m very proud of it. I’m very well aware of it – that it’s a special honour to have the chance to coach this team as a foreign coach.
‘I will make sure I earn my right to be in this place.’
England take on Albania next Friday night in Tuchel’s first game in charge, before another World Cup qualifier against Latvia the following Monday.
Marcus Rashford – currently on loan at Aston Villa from Manchester United – and veteran midfielder Jordan Henderson were both recalled by Tuchel.
‘Everyone who is with us on this journey and in this first camp is a contender for the World Cup,’ he said. ‘Every player is part of this first step.
‘At the same time, it’s only the first step so the nomination is not the nomination for America. We had tough decisions to take and we didn’t make it easy for ourselves.
‘We waited very long until Champions League games were over until we took our last decisions. It is important to be in the first camp and if you are in the first camp, you are in the first step of the journey.
‘There were some very hard decisions, some more obvious and some more hidden but there are some very close decisions and there are some players not in the squad who absolutely did enough and deserved to be in the squad.
‘But it comes with the job – everyone talks about it and everyone has a strong opinion on it. It’s fair enough.’
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