Future England boss? Frank Lampard backed by ex-Three Lions captain as Steven Gerrard & Wayne Rooney are offered ‘adapt’ advice in their coaching careers

Having previously turned to Swedish tactician Sven-Goran Eriksson and demanding Italian Fabio Capello for inspiration, England are now working under the tutelage of ex-Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain boss Thomas Tuchel. The German has been charged with the task of bringing 60 years of trophy-chasing hurt to a close at the 2026 World Cup.

His initial 18-month contract has already been extended to take in a European Championship campaign in 2028 that will see continental competition return to British and Irish shores. Who, though, will eventually follow in Tuchel’s footsteps?

Chelsea legend Lampard, who won 106 caps in his playing days, is considered to be a potential future appointment for the Football Association.

He has experienced mixed fortunes in the dugout, with a bright start at Derby being overshadowed by struggles across two spells at Stamford Bridge and a 12-month stint at Everton. The 48-year-old has seen his stock rise again after bringing Coventry’s 25-year absence from the top-flight to a close.

Quizzed on whether Lampard could land the most prominent coaching post in English football at some stage, Butcher - speaking in association with the Domino’s ‘Shirtiette’ campaign - told GOAL: “I'd like to think that. I'd like to think that we produce good English coaches.

“Obviously having a German coach is not what I would have expected and not what I would really want. But the way that he's gone about his work, he's taken it in his stride, Thomas Tuchel, and fair play to him. I'd support him now and just hope that he does do the job.

“But I want to see English coaches manage and be head coach of England. I really do. With Frank, especially getting into the big time with Coventry and deservedly so, I think it would be great if Frank did then learn from getting promotion and keep Coventry in that league.

“I've got a really soft spot for Coventry because that was my first club job as a player-manager. I really would love him to do well and would love Frank Lampard to do well and hopefully he'll get the job one day.

“But we've got to wait and see and see if Thomas Tuchel's going to be there longer having won the World Cup! That would be a bit of a dilemma for the FA, but certainly it's what we all want.”

There are not too many other English coaches that are considered to be ready for the top job, but that situation could change. ‘Golden Generation’ stars Gerrard and Rooney have both dipped their toes into management - with the former savouring Scottish Premiership title glory at Rangers before flopping at Aston Villa, while the latter has endured short-lived stints in charge of Birmingham and Plymouth.

Asked if Lampard could serve as inspiration for two of his former team-mates, with the value of taking a step backwards in order to move forwards being highlighted, ex-Coventry, Sunderland and Brentford boss Butcher added: “I've taken many steps going backwards. I don't seem to have taken many forward, but you hope that players will learn.

“This is a whole new generation from when they were playing, a whole new era. So you've got to adapt and Bobby Robson adapted brilliantly well, home and abroad. But you've got to learn, you've got to adapt and see what you've got, how you want to play and make sure that you are totally committed - you're lucky in many respects and you hope that you can win games.

“I think the more successful the English managers become, then there's more pressure on Thomas Tuchel and more pressure on the FA to appoint a future England coach who's English. So yeah, I'd love that situation.

“We haven't got that many at the moment. Sean Dyche, we've got Eddie Howe, so there's not a lot, the pool in the Premier League is not a lot to select from. You just hope that coaches are coming through all the time from St George's Park, from the coaching side and being the best.

“That's what you want. There's so many continental and foreign coaches in our leagues that you'd love to see a lot more inclusive managers as well and coaches, but also English. After all, the Premier League is an English league.”

Premier League action will return on August 21, with the 2026-27 start date being pushed back by this summer’s World Cup. Tuchel is currently strutting his stuff there, with England reaching the last-32 - where they will face DR Congo - in an ongoing bid to savour global glory and give their loyal legion of supporters something to shout about.

Watching football can be a messy business, so Domino’s has created the ‘Shirtiette’ – a football shirt made from actual serviette material, designed for fans to wear food and drink stains with pride this summer. The pizza brand is giving the shirts away free to England and Scotland fans, so they can get messy on matchdays, embracing spills during goal celebrations, penalty misses or VAR rage.

The shirts are purpose-built from absorbent napkin material, so fans can soak up pizza sauce spillages, mozzarella mishaps and topping tumbles while watching the games at home. The ‘Shirtiette’ is available via www.dominosshirtiette.com, where England and Scotland fans can apply to claim a limited-edition England or Scotland ‘Shirtiette’.