Thomas Tuchel's war with Europe's elite? England's plans for USA friendlies set to anger clubs with new manager already in firing line

Former Chelsea boss Tuchel was appointed as England's next permanent manager earlier this week, with the German signing an 18-month deal starting from January 1, 2025. After a vocal backlash to his unveiling, the ex-Bayern Munich manager may face another issue - before he has even taken up the role. The Telegraph reports the Football Association want to organise two friendlies for the Three Lions in the United States in early June 2025. This would come after a busy domestic season and just before the start of the Club World Cup. Therefore, a host of players and their respective teams may not be happy with this as they will want a longer break from the game.

Player welfare is becoming a bigger issue, particularly with the number of games they are playing each season. These proposed England friendlies may require the likes of Real Madrid's Jude Bellingham, Manchester City's Phil Foden, and Bayern's Harry Kane to play yet more football. Plus, their sides will then take place in the Club World Cup between June and July 2025. This could be a difficult situation for new boss Tuchel to have to contend with but he needs games to prepare his side for the 2026 World Cup.

When asked about the amount of games players are playing, the former Borussia Dortmund boss told reporters: "Good one. Now it’s not enough, we need more matches! We will not have a lot of time. If you look at the schedule, and we hear the voices of the players and I think they have a reason [to complain]. The schedule, to end the season with the Champions League final, then go to an international break, then have the Club World Cup is a very, very demanding schedule for the players. And now it’s a new perspective for me. I’m glad to have it. It will help me to become a better coach. We will take this into account when we do our nomination [call-ups] to not overload the players. But also respect our target to build the strongest group possible to go to America (for the World Cup).”

Before Tuchel takes over as England boss, interim manager Lee Carsley will lead the Three Lions in their final Nations League group stage matches against Greece and the Republic of Ireland on November 14 and 17 respectively. Then, Tuchel will try to build on the success of his predecessor Gareth Southgate.