Jordan Pickford has welcomed Thomas Tuchel’s short-term 18-month contract as England manager.
The former Chelsea boss assumes his role as England’s new permanent manager on January 1 and is contracted until after the 2026 tournament.
England reached the European Championship final twice and a World Cup semi-final under Gareth Southgate, and the Football Association have made it known that Tuchel was been hired with the aim of winning their first major silverware since 1966 in his first major tournament in charge.
A decision on whether the German stays on beyond July 2026 will be made after the World Cup, and dependent on the team’s progress.
Our focus is definitely on [winning silverware], because we’ve been so close
Jordan Pickford
Speaking about the FA’s decisiveness, England goalkeeper Pickford said: “[Tuchel’s short-term deal] is definitely [focused] on the qualifying campaign we’ve got. We’ve got to get the job done.
“Our focus is definitely on [winning silverware], because we’ve been so close.”
Outgoing interim manager Lee Carsley handed debuts to eight players over the course of his six matches in charge, and Pickford is pleased Tuchel will be met in his new role with big selection decisions to make.
“It’s a headache for the manager and the staff to pick the team,” the Everton goalkeeper said. “It’s healthy competition. We’ve got to go back to our clubs, compete week in week out and be at our best to get picked for the country. That’s the challenge for everybody.
“I don’t know what March is going to be, whether it’s friendlies or qualifiers, but the new manager comes in in January and he’s a winner. Our main target is to get to the USA and lift that trophy.”
England beat Greece 3-0 in Athens on Thursday and the Republic of Ireland 5-0 at Wembley on Sunday in Carsley’s final matches in charge.
Assessing Carsley’s interim reign, 30-year-old Pickford said: “We are always going to be disappointed for that setback against Greece. We never want to get beaten at Wembley, but that’s football, and it’s about how we can learn.
“I think we showed against Finland away and the two games this week that it’s been a real improvement.”
