20 August 2020

Former Lioness Kelly Smith says new England boss Sarina Wiegman is ‘one of the best managers in the world'

The new England boss Sarina Wiegman is one of the best managers in the world, according to ex-Lioness Kelly Smith.

Wiegman will replace outgoing boss Phil Neville next summer after signing a four-year deal.

“It's her and [former USA head coach] Jill Ellis who are probably up there competing to be the number one,” Smith told BBC Sport.

"It's a brilliant appointment. I like the way Wiegman sets her teams up. They are very difficult to beat. She has a good tactical knowledge of the game and I believe she will share that with all the England players."

Wiegman is currently the manager of The Netherlands and boasts 43 wins with the team - more than any other Dutch coach for the men’s or women’s team.

And Wiegman will have an abundance of talent to choose from. Many England stars play in the Women’s Super League and Smith has called the English competition the ‘best in the world’.

"The level of play now seems to be getting better and better every year.

"All the top players want to come here and perform. It wasn't like that a few years ago. Everybody wanted to leave and go over to America but now it seems that Americans want to play in this league, which is brilliant."

US internationals Rose Lavelle and Sam Mewis recently signed for WSL club Manchester City 

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