EXCLUSIVE: Hamann urges England fans to give new boss Tuchel a fair chance
The former Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich manager was picked as the man to follow on from Gareth Southgate, signing an 18-month deal starting in January.
Despite Tuchel's credentials, the German's appointment has caused a storm, with plenty criticising the Football Association's decision to hire a foreign manager.
In an exclusive interview with Flashscore, former Germany and Liverpool midfielder Dietmar Hamann - who made 59 appearances for the national team - urged England supporters and the English media to be accepting of Tuchel as manager.
"I think England and the media need to give Thomas Tuchel a chance," he said. "Quite a few ex-players have complained that he's not an English manager, but football is a results-based business, if Tuchel wins then no one will be complaining.
"Germany and England probably is the biggest international rivalry, but I think you need to give Tuchel a chance."
The decision to appoint Tuchel has courted plenty of controversy in recent weeks, with several high-profile pundits such as Gary Neville and Jamie Carragher admitting they would rather have a home-grown manager in charge.
Hamann disagrees with that outlook, however, insisting he would be open to a foreign manager taking the German job at some point in the future, so long as they were fully qualified for the role.
"In eight years, our international team has not been progressing well and I was close to accepting the fact we needed a foreign manager to come in, someone who can have a perspective of the situation from the outside," explained the German.
"I wouldn't have been opposed to having an English or foreign manager, if they're better than Germany's managers, then it's a no-brainer.
“If Germany were to hire someone it would be someone who has been hugely successful, someone who has won multiple titles, so right now it's hard to put an English name to that."
Tuchel could well be pitted against his home nation at the 2026 World Cup, with both sides expected to make it through to the latter stages of the tournament.
"I don't even want to think of Tuchel's England beating Germany in a World Cup final," admitted Hamann. "Everyone in Germany wishes him the best until we play England.
"You couldn't write a better story than a final between England and Germany, let's see what happens in 2026."
Tuchel was one of several foreign managers linked to the England job after Gareth Southgate's resignation in July, including the likes of Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp.
Having seen some of the negative comments in the aftermath of Tuchel's appointment, Hamann believes the reaction would have been more favourable had either Guardiola or Klopp stepped into the role.
"Jurgen Klopp is everyone's darling, I think if he was appointed then there would have been a different reaction," he said.
"Tuchel fell out with the Chelsea board which probably had an effect on the English media. I think the likes of Klopp or Guardiola would have been welcomed into the role."
