New England new head coach Thomas Tuchel says he understands the controversy over his appointment but hopes his record in the Premier league with Chelsea gives him "a British edge on my German passport".
Tuchel, who has signed an 18-month contract with a remit to win the 2026 World Cup, is the third foreign coach in England's history after Swede Sven Goran-Eriksson and Italian Fabio Capello.
Mark Bullingham, the FA's chief executive, revealed the governing body interviewed "approximately 10 candidates" following Gareth Southgate's resignation in July, some of whom were English, but insisted they "owe it to the players and country... [to] give us the best chance of winning a trophy" by appointing Tuchel.
The former Bayern Munich coach hopes his 18 months at Chelsea, who he led to the 2021 Champions League title, will convince supporters of his "passion" and "respect" for England, despite his nationality.
"I am sorry to have a German passport but I can just tell them… and maybe the supporters can feel my passion for the English Premier League, my passion for the country, how I love to live and work here," Tuchel, 51, said at his Wembley unveiling on Wednesday.
"How my memories are of the highest level and they played a huge role and hopefully I can convince people and show them and prove to them that I am proud to be English manager.
"I will do everything to show respect to this role and to this country. The target for the next 18 months is nothing else.“I think everyone has their opinion and I can understand even the opinion I would fancy an English coach more for the English team.
"But I think we deserve a fair chance, we deserve the credit for having a good record in the country, for never being shy of how much we love to live in the country and how much we enjoy working with the players in the Premier League.
"Maybe this counts a little bit for a British edge on my German passport. So we will try to convince them by results and the way we play."
England suffered a series of near misses in seven years under Southgate, who oversaw defeats in back-to-back European Championship finals as well as runs to the semi-final and then quarter-final of the last two World Cups.
Bullingham, who led the recruitment process along with the FA's technical director John McDermott, believes England now have a manager who can lead them "over the line" in Canada, the USA and Mexico in summer 2026.
"We were always very clear that we wanted the best person for the job," Bullingham said, when asked about the decision to hire a foreign coach.
"I feel like we owe it to the players and the country to give them that support and leadership in tournaments to get them over the line and give us the best chance of winning a trophy in the mens’ World Cup. We feel we have done that and are delighted that Thomas has joined us."
