Thomas Tuchel: I have to earn right to sing national anthem

Thomas Tuchel has said he will not sing the national anthem until he has earned the right to do so — principally by guiding his England side to victory.

Aware that Lee Carsley, the interim England manager, was criticised for refusing to sing God Save the King, Tuchel asked for time to consider his position on the issue when he became ­Gareth Southgate’s permanent successor last October.

But on the day Tuchel named a first England squad for the World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia that included recalls for Marcus Rashford and Jordan Henderson, he was asked where he now stood on the matter. The 51-year-old German had just said how “proud” he was to be invited to meet the Prince of Wales — until last summer the president of the FA — at Windsor Castle.

But Tuchel said it was up to England’s fans, his players and the English media to decide when he is worthy of singing the national anthem.

“I made my decision,” he said. “I think first of all, you have a very powerful, emotional and meaningful national anthem and I could not be more proud to be on the sideline and be in charge of the English national team. It means everything and it means a lot to me, I can assure you.

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“But I feel, because it is that meaningful and it is that emotional and it is so powerful, that I have to earn my right to sing it. It is not just a given. You cannot just sing it. That’s why I ­decided I will not sing it in my first matches.

“I will earn it with results, with building a group, with doing my job properly and by creating a feeling where maybe even you guys say at some point, ‘Now it’s time that you sing it, it feels like you earn it and you’re a proper English guy now!’

“Maybe I have to dive more into the culture and earn my right from you, from the players, from the supporters, so everyone feels like he should sing it now, he’s one of our own, he’s the ­English manager, he should sing it.”

Henderson last played for England in November 2023, while Rashford’s last cap was against Brazil in March last year RICHARD HEATHCOTE/GETTY IMAGES

He said he already knew the words — “Yeah, it’s not hard” — and spoke of meeting Prince William, conceding the 42-year-old’s public support for his appointment perhaps raises expectations.

“Of course,” Tuchel said. “But the ­pressure comes with the job and the pressure is a privilege in this role. I met His Royal Highness once during a match and then we had another meeting in Windsor Castle. It was just nothing but impressive the way he speaks.

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“He has a strong opinion. He was pushing hard for the Aston Villa players, which was not needed because we admire them a lot and we admire a lot what is happening there in the club.

“It means a lot and is just something very special that comes with the role. It is an honour and privilege and comes with big responsibility.”

Tuchel made the point that the time he had to build a squad capable of winning next year’s World Cup was extremely limited. He spoke of only “six camps and 60 days together” with his players. As yet the FA has not given an explanation for why Tuchel delayed his start in the job until January 1, therefore passing up the opportunity to lead the team for two games in November.

Burn has been handed his first England call-up at 32 LEE KEUNEKE/EVERY SECOND MEDIA

Tuchel was asked exactly how much time he had dedicated to scouting the 26 players he announced at a news conference at Wembley. The Times reported last month how he is being given the flexibility to make regular trips back to Germany to see his family, even though it meant him missing three Premier League weekends, the third round of the FA Cup and all four Carabao Cup semi-final matches in his first 6½ weeks in his new £5 million-a-year role.

Tuchel insisted he had seen all the players he selected at least once, even though he later conceded that only Anthony Barry, his assistant, had travelled to the Netherlands to watch 34-year-old Henderson playing for Ajax.

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“How can I see them live more?” he said. “I was at 25 matches in the last nine weeks. Maybe I could have gone to 28 but . . .

“On the Premier League weekends where I don’t go, I watch a minimum of five matches live on a wide-angle screen. I watch more because if I go to the stadium on a Saturday, I don’t see the match before and I don’t see the match after.”

Tuchel did, however, admit he had selected Dominic Solanke in preference to Ivan Toney on the basis that he had actually seen him play. He plans to travel to Saudi Arabia to watch Toney, 28, after his first two games in charge.

Full squad announcement Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson, Jordan Pickford, Aaron Ramsdale, James Trafford Defenders: Dan Burn, Levi Colwill, Marc Guéhi, Reece James, Ezri Konsa, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Tino Livramento, Jarell Quansah, Kyle Walker Midfielders: Jude Bellingham, Eberechi Eze, Jordan Henderson, Curtis Jones, Cole Palmer, Declan Rice, Morgan Rogers Forwards: Jarrod Bowen, Phil Foden, Anthony Gordon, Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, Dominic Solanke

“It would be interesting if you make the effort to compare the live views to any other head coach out there in international football, because I think I [attended] more live matches than anyone else,” Tuchel added. “Listen, I need a little bit of trust from you that you trust me to do the job at a high intensity and in the best way possible.”

For Rashford, 27, who has revived his career since joining Villa on loan, and Henderson, it marks a first call-up to the England squad in 12 months.

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Tuchel has also given first call-ups to the Newcastle United centre back Dan Burn, 32, and Arsenal’s teenage full back Myles Lewis-Skelly. John Stones and Harry Maguire are unavailable.

There is no place for Jack Grealish, who has been struggling for form at Manchester City. Jarell Quansah, the Liverpool defender, makes the squad, as does Kyle Walker.

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