The head of the Lionesses and “honorary Briton” – Sarina Wiegman breaks the silence on the appointment of Thomas Tuchel as manager of the England national team

Lionesses boss Sarina Wiegman has given her support to the new England manager, Thomas Tuchel.

The former Chelsea boss was last week appointed as Gareth Southgate’s successor, but the Football Association has faced criticism from some quarters for its decision to appoint a foreign manager.

Wiegman, who comes from the Netherlands, has been leading the Lioness team since 2021 and won the European Championship at home in 2022, and last year he led the country’s national team to the World Cup final.

She and captain Leah Williamson were asked for their thoughts on the reaction to Tuchel’s appointment in the wake of the Lionesses’ success with a foreign manager.

Wiegman replied, “I’m just so happy to be appointed!”

Sarina Wiegman supports her opposite number in the men’s team to achieve success for England

Thomas Tuchel was appointed in October amid mixed reactions due to his German origins

I will give my all, I am completely convinced that Thomas Tuchel will do the same.

“He is very committed, he has shown what a good coach he is and I hope he will bring success to England.”

Williamson, who described Wiegman as an “honorable Briton”, added: “I think, firstly, you can’t pick when it suits you, just based on the result.

“We had a great time with Sarina, I think she’s an honorary Brit now anyway. In slang she’s not quite up to par.

I think the English teams want to win. The best coach will always be chosen. I know there’s so much going on with all the FA’s plans, especially around the women’s game.

I can’t comment on the men’s game, but there are many opportunities for English coaches, and more and more are emerging.

Captain Leah Williamson spoke about how happy she was with her Dutch-born coach

“It’s not my place to comment on managers, but I know we were all very pleased with Sarina.”

On Friday, the Lionesses will face Germany in a friendly match at Wembley, starting preparations for next summer’s European Championships.

Fran Kirby will miss the game with a minor injury, while Lotte Wubben-Moy is still undergoing tests for concussion and will also miss the match.