Former England international and Manchester United legend Gary Neville (49) has voiced strong criticism against the English Football Association (FA) for appointing Thomas Tuchel (51) as the new England national team manager.

On October 17 (KST), British outlet Sky Sports reported that "Gary Neville has raised concerns about the FA's decision to hire Thomas Tuchel." The FA officially announced the appointment of Tuchel as the manager of the England men's national team through its channels, with his tenure set to last until the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America.

Tuchel's appointment marks the end of Gareth Southgate's eight-year reign as England manager. However, Tuchel will only take over the role starting from January 1 next year, with interim manager Lee Carsley leading the team until then.

Notably, Tuchel becomes only the third foreign manager in England's history, following Sven-Göran Eriksson (2000-2006) and Fabio Capello (2007-2012).

According to Sky Sports, Neville was far from pleased with the FA's decision to bring in a non-English manager. He expressed his dissatisfaction, stating, "St George's Park (England's national football center) was designed to prove that English coaches, not only for the men's team but also for the women's and youth teams, could lead the nation back to the top of European football. But this decision to hire Tuchel feels more like an instinctive move made over a couple of weeks rather than a well-thought-out strategy."

Neville continued, "Tuchel should not have been appointed as England manager. He is a brilliant coach, but he will undoubtedly face difficult questions during press conferences. He should be working in an environment more suited to him."