Former Wigan Athletic man will be part of Thomas Tuchel's England set-up

The Football Association on Wednesday confirmed the Champions League-winning former Chelsea boss as Gareth Southgate's permanent successor.

It emerged on Tuesday the FA had been in advanced talks with the 51-year-old, who is out of work after leaving Bayern Munich last summer, and negotiations progressed rapidly.

Tuchel has agreed an 18-month contract beginning on January 1.

"I am very proud to have been given the honour of leading the England team,” said Tuchel. "I have long felt a personal connection to the game in this country, and it has given me some incredible moments already.

"To have the chance to represent England is a huge privilege, and the opportunity to work with this special and talented group of players is very exciting.

"Working closely with Anthony as my assistant coach, we will do everything we can to make England successful and the supporters proud. I want to thank the FA – and in particular Mark (Bullingham, CEO) and John (McDermott, technical director) – for their trust and I am looking forward to starting our journey together.”

And having worked with Tuchel at Chelsea and Bayern, Barry – a former midfielder, who spent his playing career in the lower leagues – was the perfect choice for managerial support.

The 38-year-old left Latics shortly after the club was placed into administration in the summer of 2020, with Chelsea not handing over any compensation to lure him south.

He was headhunted by Frank Lampard - after the paid had done their coaching badges together - and remained at Stamford Bridge when the former England star was replaced by Tuchel midway through the 2020-21 campaign.

It wasn't long before Barry's work was noticed on the international stage, and he joined the Republic of Ireland's backroom staff in February 2021.

Twelve months later he was invited by Roberto Martinez to join the set-up of Belgium - then ranked the No.1 side in the world - following the departure of another Latics old-boy, Shaun Maloney.

Barry followed Martinez when the Spaniard took over as Portugal manager in the summer of 2022, and has continued to see his star rise working alongside the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva and Bruno Fernandez.

Following his new appointment, Barry said: “For any Englishman in football, working with the national team is the pinnacle, and I didn’t hesitate when Thomas asked me to come and join him again. I know what a great place St George’s Park is, and how much of an advantage it gives our England teams, and the support it gives to coaches.

Tuchel boasts considerable elite-level experience having led Chelsea to Champions League glory in 2021 and taken charge of Paris St Germain and Bayern. He has also coached Mainz and Borussia Dortmund.

England have been looking for a new permanent manager since Southgate stood down after guiding the side to the Euro 2024 final - the second time he had reached that stage of a major tournament - last summer.

Under-21s boss Lee Carsley , who has been in interim charge, was thought to be a candidate for the job but his prospects diminished over the past week.