Declan Rice says Thomas Tuchel has something “special” as he bids to lead England to World Cup glory.
Tuchel was appointed as Sir Gareth Southgate’s successor with the clear mission to end 70 years of hurt by winning in North America next summer.
He began with a qualifying win over Albania on Friday, with a second match against Latvia on Monday, and Rice says he has already won the players over.
“I think just how he is as a person, his whole character, he’s been amazing,” the Arsenal midfielder said. “Like on the training pitch, how he puts his arm around you, just makes you feel loved and welcome.
“As a player I think that’s such a special thing, to feel loved by your manager. It gives you the confidence to go out there and really, really perform.
“And he’s done that with a lot of players this week. The way training has been, it’s been really high level. The energy has been really high, and that comes from him because of how he is as a character, his charisma.
“So, it’s only been the first week but it’s definitely exciting times.
“Obviously it’s my first time working with Thomas and he’s really energetic. He cares so much about his players.
“We have one goal, to get to the World Cup and then get the second star on the shirt. I think he’s been massive on that. We’re all on the same page and we’re all together in that.”
Monday night’s Group K clash is the first meeting between England and Latvia and while not many people know too much about the opposition, Rice knows goalkeeper Rihards Matrevics, who is nicknamed “King Kong” in his own country, well.
The pair shared accommodation when they were in the West Ham academy and Rice told stories of going to Nando’s in Romford together.
“If he starts tomorrow, you’ll see he’s about 7ft 5in!,” Rice joked. “He’s so tall. Honestly, I’m not lying, he’s so, so tall.
“When he came to West Ham, it was like, ‘Wow, this guy’s a beast’. And he couldn’t speak much English at the time, but by the end, it was unbelievable.
“We had a lot of free time and we’d go out for some food and go to Nando’s in Romford, because we stayed in Essex, and he’d have to duck down to get underneath the door.
“He was such a good guy. I’m really looking forward to seeing him tomorrow because it’s been a long time.”
