England’s under-fire technical director Dan Ashworth claims The FA are on board with a winter break in the Premier League
Ashworth was on three-man committee that appointed Sam Allardyce as Three Lions boss and now backs mid-season rest
DAN ASHWORTH insists there is NO opposition to a winter break.
The FA technical director says the Premier League are on board with a mid-season interval in the hope of helping the national team perform better at finals.
Ashworth said: “There is not one person in opposition to it.
“There is incredible pressure to make sure all those competitions are maximised — so having a break some Saturday fixtures go, or Cup replays go.
“The will is there from everybody to sit down and maximise those 12 months.
“There isn’t one blocker or block, it’s just about trying to be sensible. It’s not about putting pressure on the Premier League. The relationship with the league is probably the best it has been.”
Ashworth was part of the three-man panel that appointed Sam Allardyce.
He added: “My personal view — and that of the panel — is that the manager of the England team should be English.
“It was very important for us that the pinnacle of the coaching, the England senior job, was English.
“We’ve built St George’s Park for coach education, for teams, for the players — and we’re encouraging everybody who wants a role in coaching to get qualifications.”