Eddie Howe has confirmed he was NOT one of the 10 candidates interviewed by the FA for the England job - but did not rule out managing his country in the future.
Mail Sport reported on Thursday that the FA were put off by a compensation figure likely to be in excess of £6million for the Newcastle boss.
German Thomas Tuchel was unveiledas the new head coach at a press conference at Wembley on Wednesday, during which chief executive Mark Bullingham claimed he had interviewed 10 people, including some English candidates.
Howe was asked on Friday if he was among those spoken to, and said: ‘I was not. There was no contact from the FA. England have to do what is right for them. Only they will know the processes they have gone through. For me it is about Newcastle. I remain 100 per cent focused to my work, if you drop focus the job becomes impossible.’
Howe says he would have preferred the appointment to be English - and believes there were suitable candidates available.
The Football Association opted to appoint German manager Thomas Tuchel but did interview English coaches for the role
‘Yes, of course there were (English) candidates,’ he said. ‘But I’m not going to critique the FA’s decision. The decision is down to them. They know a lot more than I do. They will have all the information. I don’t think it’s for me to judge that decision.
‘But there are people out there who I think are very, very good who are English and they’re available. But I’m sure the FA did their work on that and they’ve come to their decision.’
Tuchel has signed an 18-month deal that expires after the 2026 World Cup. Would Howe fancy the England job one day?
‘Who knows?’ he said. ‘I've always said that you can never predict what's going to happen in management, you can never plan too far ahead. I certainly don't.
‘But I'd never say that managing England isn't something I'd like to do, maybe one day, if given the opportunity. For me as kid I loved World Cups. I loved European Championships. I was obsessed with England trying to win something. I really do hope Thomas is able to do that for the country.
‘But my focus is Newcastle, Newcastle, Newcastle. I said in Germany (two days after Gareth Southgate resigned), right at the start, my focus was all on Newcastle and that has not changed for one second. I genuinely think about Newcastle and trying to lift a trophy here would be my goal. I immerse myself with what I’m in currently, so no other thoughts have entered my head.’
On Tuchel, Howe said: ‘I've got a relationship with Thomas. I was lucky enough to go and see him work at Chelsea when I was out of work, and what a brilliant guy, what a great person, what a great coach.
‘I had two days with him and thought he was fascinating. I really enjoyed his company, so I really wish him well. I think he's a great appointment and I hope he leads England to many trophies.’
He added: ‘I have always said – and I've been very clear on this - my preference would have been for an English coach, but if you are going to go foreign, go for one of the best and I certainly think Thomas is that.’