Wayne Rooney Supports Tuchel for England Job Unless Guardiola is Available

Wayne Rooney believes the Football Association should stay the course with Thomas Tuchel – unless, somehow, Pep Guardiola can be tempted into the England job.

Tuchel remains in place after England’s 2-1 World Cup semi-final defeat to Argentina on Wednesday, a night when a 1-0 lead slipped away late and the German’s substitutions came under heavy fire. Despite the backlash, Tuchel has made it clear he intends to lead the Three Lions into Euro 2028, and the FA has publicly backed him.

Rooney, though, sees one possible exception.

Speaking on The Wayne Rooney Show, the former England captain said the FA should only look beyond Tuchel if Guardiola suddenly becomes an option.

"I don't see anyone else out there at the minute, unless you go and get Pep Guardiola. If Pep is available, then maybe you go and get him," Rooney said.

For Rooney, Tuchel still stands above the rest of the realistic candidates.

"I think he is a top-class manager and what the top managers do, they learn from the mistakes and they improve and get better.

"If we sack him, what managers are we going to bring in? And I don't think there's anyone out there who's as good as Thomas Tuchel, unless Guardiola."

That backing comes with a warning. Rooney pointed straight at Tuchel’s lack of tournament pedigree.

"But the big thing for me is he's not experienced at World Cups. We had the exact same with [Fabio] Capello.

"The World Cup is different and you need to feel that environment and now he's felt it."

Tuchel signed a two-year contract extension in February, having originally been appointed in January 2025 on an 18‑month mandate to deliver the World Cup. The FA had previously approached Guardiola before turning to Tuchel, with reports of a verbal agreement at one stage.

Rooney did not hide his confusion over the timing of that new deal.

"I think the FA told us that Thomas Tuchel was coming in to win the World Cup and take us to the next level.

"It's a little bit strange if its priority was to win the World Cup, but then you get a two-year contract before you actually go to the World Cup. That's a bit strange."

So Tuchel stays, scarred by a semi-final collapse but trusted to lead a new cycle. Unless, as Rooney hinted, the one manager England could never previously get suddenly comes back into play.