Gary Neville believes the FA have "serious questions to answer" following the appointment of Thomas Tuchel as England's new head coach.
The German has been named as Gareth Southgate's successor after signing an 18-month contract with the Three Lions, which will begin on January 1, with interim boss Lee Carsley overseeing the remainder of the ongoing Nations League campaign.
A Champions League winner with Chelsea and league title winner with Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich, Tuchel becomes only the third non-English coach to take charge of the national side after Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello.
Neville, who was capped 85 times by the Three Lions between 1995 and 2007, is in no doubt of the quality the 51-year-old will bring to the role.
However, the former defender believes the FA have acted on instinct by giving the job to an international manager, whilst overlooking the likes of Eddie Howe and Graham Potter.
"They probably got the best available coach in the world at this moment in time," Neville told Sky Sports News. "Fitting that criteria, they are absolutely spot on.
"I am not sure if it meets the criteria of St George's Park and the belief in English coaches, and the growth in the English teams' performances over the last few years.
"Not just the men's, but the women's and the youth teams as well. St George's Park was going to be a hotbed of proving that English coaches could get back to the top of European football.
"It doesn't feel like a strategic decision, it feels like an instinctive one off the back of what's happened in the last two weeks.
"Everybody in our country, including myself, will wish him all the best and hope we can get over the line and win a trophy, but I think there are some serious questions for the FA to answer in respect of English coaching.
"I do think we are damaging ourselves by accepting Thomas Tuchel is better than any of the other English coaches. We are in a rut when it comes to English coaching.
"English coaching is one of the least respected big nations in Europe when it comes to taking charge of a football team. Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese coaches are renowned for their styles of play, for their philosophy.
"We don't have a clear identity as an English nation of what we are any more. We haven't built a style, we haven't got a coach who's built a style that's unique to us."
England reached successive European Championship finals under Gareth Southgate, but suffered heartbreaking defeats at the hands of Italy and Spain.
And former Three Lions captain Alan Shearer - in contrast to Neville - thinks the FA have done the right thing by hiring a proven winner in a bid to end the nation's long wait for silverware.
"We need a trophy - it's as simple as that. We need a manager who can deliver that," Shearer told The Rest Is Football podcast.
"There's no doubt [Tuchel] has an incredible CV, but this is going to be a very different test for him. It's a bold move from the FA, there's no doubt about it.
"You have to win the tournament, that's what he's been hired for. They [the FA] have seen the bunch of players are the best England have had for a long, long time."
Messi tips Lautaro for Ballon d'Or after 'spectacular year'
Lionel Messi is backing Lautaro Martinez to win this year's Ballon d'Or, believing his Argentina team-mate deserves the accolade "more than anyone else".
The two players were on target during the world champions' commanding 6-0 victory over Bolivia on Tuesday, Messi bagging a hat-trick while setting up Lautaro for their side's second goal.
It has been a 2024 to remember for Lautaro, who top-scored with 24 goals as he captained Inter to the Scudetto last season.
The forward was also the leading marksman during the Copa America with five goals, including an extra-time winner as Argentina beat Colombia 1-0 in the final.
Lautaro's exploits have seen him shortlisted for the 2024 Ballon d'Or, with the winner being announced on October 28.
Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior is among the favourites to land the accolade, along with Manchester City and Spain midfielder Rodri.
However, eight-time winner Messi feels his compatriot should be the leading candidate for the award.
"He had a spectacular year; he scored in the [Copa America] final, he was the top scorer. He deserves the Ballon d'Or more than anyone else."
'He'll bring a lot of energy' - Kane excited by Tuchel reunion
Harry Kane believes Thomas Tuchel will "bring a lot of energy" to England's squad, after the German was confirmed as the Three Lions' head coach.
Tuchel has signed an 18-month contract to succeed Gareth Southgate, and will begin his new role on January 1 with interim boss Lee Carsley overseeing the remainder of the ongoing Nations League campaign.
Only the third non-English coach to take charge of the Three Lions, the 51-year-old brings a wealth of experience and success to the Wembley dugout.
A Champions League and Club World Cup winner with Chelsea, he also won two Ligue 1 titles with Paris Saint-Germain and the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich.
He worked alongside England captain Kane last season, with the former Tottenham forward scoring 44 goals in 45 games under Tuchel.
Despite surrendering the Bundesliga crown to Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen, Tuchel guided Bayern to the Champions League semi-finals, making him the first German coach to achieve the feat with three different clubs.
And Kane is excited about being reunited with his former boss.
"It's obviously a big move with Thomas being our new England coach," the forward said. "I think it's a really great appointment.
"Obviously, I worked closely with him last season, and I think he's a really top, top coach, and also a great person.
"I think he'll bring a lot of energy to the squad, a lot of experience as well, so really looking forward to starting with him next year."
Everton must continue to 'build and grow' amid takeover talks, says Dyche
Everton boss Sean Dyche says the noise around the club's takeover by The Friedkin Group is "just a reality of the job" and he knows no more than the fans about how long it will take to complete.
The proposed takeover from the American group is currently in processing as they await approval from the Premier League, potentially ending months of uncertainty about the future of the football club.
But on the pitch, Dyche has led the Toffees to four points in their last two games, the latest of which came in a stalemate against Newcastle before the international break.
And ahead of the trip to Portman Road to face Ipswich this weekend, Dyche insisted his players must keep up their performances and continue to grow as a collective.
"I've said it all along," Dyche told BBC Sport. "The powers that be might know more than me, and that's right because it's a business.
It's not just a football business that I take care of on the pitch, it's the whole business. So, they're going to have to wait and see. The noise is just a reality of the job. It's a great club, with great history and great concern.
"We have to just to keep growing, keep maturing, keep building on some tough times and keep coming out of those tough times.”
Ipswich, meanwhile, were dealt their joint-heaviest defeat of the season last time out, losing 4-1 to West Ham at the London Stadium.
The Tractor Boys are now winless in their first seven Premier League games since their promotion from the Championship, their joint-longest run without victory at the start of a top-flight season in their history (also seven games in 1969-70).
However, head coach Kieran McKenna was optimistic about his side’s start to the campaign, but reiterated the ruthlessness of the top-flight is something his players must become accustomed to.
“Of course, it is the first time we have lost a game in a while, we have been competitive in lots of games, but we still have a big jump to go to consistently win games,” McKenna said.
“There are lots of things we have done, but the defeat against West Ham was a reminder of how quickly the game can get away from you – the quality across the league is so high.
“We need to be at our best on and off the ball and in our mindset if we are to be competitive. We have shown we can compete, and we know we have lots to build on.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Ipswich – Liam Delap
Delap has scored four goals in his last five Premier League games for Ipswich, including three in his last two.
He could become the fifth different player to score in three in a row for the club in the competition, while at the age of 21 he would be the youngest to do so.
Everton – Dwight McNeil
McNeil has played more successful through balls than any other player in the Premier League this season (five). All five of these have been received by Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
The Englishman has also created 23 chances this year (level with Andreas Pereira and Cole Palmer), with only Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka (27) creating more in the division.
MATCH PREDICTION: IPSWICH WIN
This is the first meeting between Ipswich and Everton in any competition since a 2-1 win for the Tractor Boys at Goodison Park in February 2002. It would be their penultimate Premier League victory that season, despite still having 13 games to play.
Ipswich also boasts an impressive record over the Toffees, though, winning three of their last four Premier League games against them (D1), as many as they had in their previous 17 league meetings with Everton (D4 L10).
However, McKenna’s men remain winless in their seven Premier League games so far this season (D4 L3) – they’ve never gone eight games from the start of a top-flight campaign without a win before.
But Everton are on a poor run of their own away from Merseyside. They are winless in their last 14 Premier League away games (D5 L9). Only twice have they had a longer such run in the competition – 16 between February and December 2017, and 19 between December 1996 and December 1997.
The Toffees have also failed to score in three of their five Premier League away games against Ipswich, including both such visits so far in the 21st century (0-2 in February 2001, 0-0 in October 2001).
But this weekend’s visitors are unbeaten in their last five Premier League meetings with promoted sides (W3 D2), having won just one of their previous 13 such games prior to this (D5 L7), and will be hoping to build on their last two results at Portman Road.
OPTA WIN PROBABILITY
Ipswich – 40%
Draw – 26.5%
Everton – 33.5%
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