Thomas Tuchel does not expect to feature in a Premier League match before 2025

Thomas Tuchel is not expected to attend Premier League matches to scout players ahead of starting his role as England head coach on January 1.

The German, who last week signed a contract to become Gareth Southgate's long-term successor, is under no pressure from the Football Association to make a visible presence at games or work behind the scenes before the start of the year. The FA will keep Lee Kersley in interim charge for next month's Nations League games against Greece and the Republic of Ireland, with Tuchel expected to return to action in January.

The former Bayern Munich manager has made some preparations, appointing Anthony Barry as his number 2 and looking to add figures to his backroom staff from his former club Chelsea. James Melbourne, Chelsea's head of performance analysis, will be allowed to join the FA on a permanent basis and Tuchel wants to take on goalkeeping coach Hilario. The Portuguese, who represented the club as a player before returning as coach, is undecided on whether to join Tuchel. He told Chelsea he was in two minds about leaving. Chelsea, who have appointed Ben Roberts as their global head of goalkeeping, know they have a number of figures in their goalkeeping department. It is unclear whether Kersley's assistant Ashley Cole will be part of Tuchel's team.

Aside from hiring backroom staff, though, there's no great sense of urgency. Carsley is keen to make room to finish his interim role and means there is little chance of Tuchel, who is set to miss the qualifying draw for the 2026 World Cup on 13 December, appearing in club games in England before the role officially begins. If he wants to personally check on the players, it will probably happen after the November international break. It is also unclear when Tuchel will travel to England.

Despite confusion over why Tuchel isn't starting straight away, the FA appear to be comfortable with the situation. It is noted that the former Chelsea manager will have three months to decide on his squad before his first camp in March.

The 51-year-old proved at Chelsea that he is capable of making an instant impact. He won the Champions League four months after being appointed in January 2021. A stay in Germany allowed him to keep up with the performances of Harry Kane and Eric Dier for Bayern.

“We always told Lee that he would have three camps and we were very clear that he would lead the Nations League campaign,” FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said on Wednesday. “And when we first spoke to Thomas he wanted to have a single focus on the World Cup, so starting on January 1 makes perfect sense for him.”

It remains unclear whether England will play World Cup qualifiers, two friendlies or a Nations League promotion playoff in March. They will avoid the play-offs if they win Group B2 but Kersley's side are second after losing to Greece last week. Whether the World Cup qualifiers start in March or June also depends on the draw.