Former England international Jamie Carragher has caused a discussion online by saying that England’s manager must be English.
Speculation has surrounded Gareth Southgate’s status as Three Lions boss following their World Cup exit on Saturday. Southgate hinted that he could leave his role in comments after the 2-1 loss to France.
“I’ve found large parts of the last 18 months difficult,” admitted the current manager, via The Guardian. “For everything that I’ve loved about the last few weeks, I still have… how things have been for 18 months. What’s been said and written. The night at Wolves… There’s lots of things in my head that’s really conflicted at the moment.”
Of course, before Qatar, the decision to keep or sack Southgate conflicted England fans. The quarterfinal exit has done little to stop these calls for change, either. Despite this, many expect Gareth Southgate to decide to stay or leave on his own terms, due to his impressive tournament record.
The rumour mill about potential replacements is in full swing, though. Amongst numerous names mentioned, Jamie Carragher made one assertion about who the England manager should be.
“The England manager should always be English!” tweeted the Liverpool legend.
Unsurprisingly, his bold statement divided opinion on social media.
Pundits and fans react to Jamie Carragher England manager comments
Firstly, beIN SPORTS presenter Richard Keys gave a ferocious response to Carragher’s claims.
“What sort of nonsense is this?” quote tweeted Keys. “It borders on racism. The England coach should be the best person available. England should not hide behind closed borders & minds.”
Never one to shy away from a discussion, Jamie Carragher then fired back at Keys: “I hope you send similar tweets to a lot of journalists who have the same opinion, or is it because I work for Sky? You are a sad desperate man. P.S. love the blogs.”
Meanwhile, whilst not branding Jamie Carragher a racist, fellow ex-pro Chris Sutton disagreed with the former defender, too.
“It should be the best person for the job regardless of what nationality they are…” he wrote.
Additionally, a number of fans held differing opinions than the Liverpool legend. Many pointed to Sarina Wiegman, the Dutch coach who helped the Lionesses win Euro 2022 this summer, as an example of how an outside manager could bring England success.
If the leading candidates are anything to go by, Jamie Carragher may not get his English England manager, either.
Who are the favourites for the England job if Southgate leaves?
One of the most common names popping up as a potential replacement if Gareth Southgate goes is Thomas Tuchel. The German has not coached since Chelsea sacked him earlier this year. However, per The Mirror, he would be keen to lead the Three Lions.
Other managers also mentioned in the running include Leicester’s Brendan Rodgers. The Northern Irishman has a track record of developing young talent, so he could be a good candidate for England’s youthful squad.
But Carra need not despair just yet. English coaches Eddie Howe and Graham Potter are among the bookies’ favourites, whilst Steven Gerrard could be in with a shout, too.
For now, though, England still have Gareth Southgate in charge.
Featured image credit: Getty
