Ex-England star demands manager's departure and suggests replacements

By Callum Ashford — 17 July 2026 — 3 min read

Butt’s strong assessment of England’s World Cup exit

Following England‘s elimination from the World Cup semi-finals against Argentina, former England international Nicky Butt has called for a change in national team management. Anthony Gordon scored for England, but Argentina secured a victory with two late goals from Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez, denying England a place in the final.

Butt expressed his views on the manager’s future, stating, “There’s no way he can stay on. Not a f***ing cat in hell’s chance after that.” He further added, “If he stays on, John McDermott needs to be sacked as well. There’s no way you can keep him now. He’s not a Sir Bobby Robson or Kevin Keegan, someone that the nation loves.”

Butt criticised the manager’s tactical approach during the semi-final, describing it as “negative football, crazy negative football.” He highlighted the decision to introduce Ezri Konsa, Nico O’Reilly, and Dan Burn as a defensive strategy that ultimately backfired. Butt suggested that the manager, despite being an “unbelievable club manager,” would likely want to leave the national team role.

Potential candidates for the England job

The discussion has now shifted to who might take over the national team. Butt identified Eddie Howe and Pep Guardiola as leading candidates. Guardiola recently concluded a significant tenure at Manchester City, where he achieved six Premier League titles and a Champions League victory. Howe, meanwhile, has overseen Newcastle‘s transformation, guiding them to two Champions League campaigns and a League Cup triumph since 2021.

Butt noted that while Guardiola would be a strong choice, his recent departure from Manchester City for a rest might make immediate involvement problematic. “If we were nine months down the line, I’d definitely be going for Pep Guardiola,” Butt explained. “But Pep can’t leave Man City a month ago, saying he needs a rest from football, and then go straight back in. He can’t do that. Eddie Howe would be brilliant. I’d love him to go in, it’d be great.”

Another name mentioned by Butt is Mauricio Pochettino, citing his strong relationship with FA technical director John McDermott. Pochettino recently led the USMNT to the round of 16 in the World Cup, where they were defeated 4-1 by Belgium. Butt recalled their close working relationship during their time at Tottenham, with McDermott as academy manager and Pochettino as first-team manager.

“Mauricio Pochettino’s got an unbelievable relationship with John McDermott and he picks it [the Manager],” Butt stated. “When McDermott was the academy manager at Tottenham, Pochettino was the manager, and they had a really, really good relationship. I wouldn’t be surprised if that happened and I wouldn’t be against it at all. He’s a very, very good manager. A likeable person, plays good football everywhere he goes.”

Looking to the future: youth development

Butt also proposed a long-term strategy for England, suggesting that the FA should focus on building a young team for future tournaments, potentially writing off the next Euros in 2028 to aim for the 2030 World Cup. As part of this plan, Butt advocated for the immediate inclusion of Arsenal youngster Max Dowman in the England squad.

Dowman, a midfielder, made 13 appearances for Mikel Arteta‘s Arsenal team last season and scored a goal against Everton in March. Butt believes the 16-year-old should play in “every international break from now on” to develop a squad with the right mentality to win major trophies. Butt argued that developing winners starts at a young age, not at 22 or 23.

The manager defended his tactics following England’s semi-final defeat, attributing the issues to the “DNA” of English football. He stated, “In this moment my feeling was no structure in the world could have helped us. Because actually we were too passive and we were not physical enough.” He further commented on the team’s inability to maintain possession and win duels after Argentina’s goal, leading to a defensive retreat that was not part of the original plan.

Argentina will now face Spain in the World Cup final on Sunday, after Spain defeated France in their semi-final match.