Fulham stalwart Ray Lewington has severed his ties with the West London club to join Roy Hodgson’s England coaching staff on a permanent basis.
Lewington, who made 407 league appearances in his career with Chelsea, Wimbledon, Fulham and Sheffield United, has signed a four year deal after a successful stint working with Hodgson’s backroom team during Euro 2012.
He joins ex-Manchester United defender and Sky Sports analyst Gary Neville on a long term deal, with attention for the Three Lions soon switching to the World Cup qualifiers for Brazil 2014.
Lewington told the FA’s official website: “This is a fantastic opportunity for me and one that I simply couldn’t turn down.
“I really enjoyed the experience at the Euros this summer and am looking forward to spending more time with the squad as we look to qualify for the World Cup in Brazil.”
Wealth of experience
Ray Lewington will bring a huge wealth of experience to the backroom staff, with a coaching career which has spanned over 25 years.
He began as a player manager at Fulham in 1986, which was a position he held for four years at Craven Cottage.
Lewington had spells as manager of Brentford and Watford in the past, steering the Hornets to the semi-finals of the FA Cup in 2003.
He returned to Fulham in 2005 after his dismissal from the Championship side and has held several roles since with the Cottagers, including being assistant manager to Hodgson in his tenure as boss of the 2010 UEFA Europa League finalists.
England’s group in qualifying for the World Cup consists of Montenegro, Poland, Ukraine, San Marino and Moldova, which begins with a trip to Chisinau to play the Moldovans on 7 September.
England’s next match is a friendly in Switzerland with the team that knocked them out of the Euros this summer, Italy on 15 August, just three days before the new domestic season begins.
By Simon Wright – Follow me on Twitter @Siwri88
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