Harry Kane has admitted he was “surprised” when Thomas Tuchel was named England head coach but said the German brings more “energy and enthusiasm” to the role than predecessor Gareth Southgate.
Bayern Munich forward Kane had only recently stopped working at club level with Tuchel when the German was announced as England’s first foreign head coach in over a decade in October last year, four months after he had left his role as head coach of the Bundesliga side.
The England captain had not pictured his former boss as an international manager at first, but said that quickly turned to excitement when the realisation set in that they would be reunited.
“I was surprised, if I’m honest,” he said ahead of Tuchel’s first game in charge with Albania on Friday night. “I didn’t expect it! I guess I wasn’t thinking of him as a national team coach. But once it was announced, I was really excited.
“I had the pleasure of working with him last year, I knew what he could bring to this type of squad that we have.
“We’ve only been together a few days but he hasn’t disappointed and he’s brought exactly what I thought he would.
“Camp after camp, as he settles in and as we get to know him more, we’ll improve as we go, but ultimately it’s about building up until next year.”
Kane is perhaps the best-placed to judge the differences between Tuchel and Southgate, having played for the latter as his captain across four major tournaments and in two finals before his resignation last July.
Though he stopped short of criticising his former manager, Kane did say the Three Lions had been unable to find their rhythm in his final tournament at Euro 2024 last summer – and added that Tuchel had brought more “enthusiasm” to the role of England manager.
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England head coach Thomas Tuchel admits it is good to be back in football management and is relishing his first camp as they prepare for the World Cup qualifier against Albania.
“They’re totally different characters, in the way they are on the pitch and probably off it too,” he said.
“I had a great relationship with Gareth, we were similar in a lot of ways – quite quiet and understanding. We had a lot of conversations about things.
“Thomas brings a lot more energy and enthusiasm, already in the training sessions and meetings. He has a lot of passion when he’s talking.
“I saw a lot of it last season, and he was a big reason why I went to Bayern in the first place. I know his attributes and how good a coach he is.
“All the boys have been impressed with him, now we’re just excited to get out there and start the next chapter.”
Kane: Tuchel got best out of me at Bayern
Kane enjoyed the best goalscoring season of his career under Tuchel at Bayern last year, scoring 44 times in all competitions – including 36 goals in 32 Bundesliga games – and winning the European Golden Shoe for 2023/24.
The 31-year-old conceded that there is a marked difference between England’s and Bayern’s squads but says Tuchel was able to get the best out of him at club level in the single season they spent together.
“He did [get the best out of me] last season. There’s no real rules to how I play – he sees me as the No 9, the guy to be in the box and score him the goals,” he said.
“But there were times in the build-up where I was the guy linking up the play, maybe getting us out of a high-pressure situation.
“If I did get on the ball, he spoke a lot about having runners for me, the wingers and a No 10 if I did drop.
“This week, he wants a lot of the ball in the opposition half, a lot of counter-pressing, and me being the one in the box and scoring the chances.
“He’s spoken a lot already about getting balls into the box as quickly as we can. Last season I had a really good season with him, this squad’s very different to that of course but I’m excited to start this England chapter with him.”
