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Topics: Thomas Tuchel, England, Wrexham, League One
Jack Kenmare
England's new assistant coach Anthony Barry asked to leave Wrexham after just one training session.
The 38-year-old, from Liverpool, will be reunited with Thomas Tuchel from January 1 onwards after the German was announced as England senior men’s head coach.
Barry, a UEFA Pro licence holder, has 'significant' international pedigree, having worked with Belgium and Portugal at the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024 respectively.
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The FA's' CEO Mark Bullingham described the internationally renowned Barry as "one of the best English coaches to support" Tuchel ahead of the qualification process for the next World Cup.
Both men are certainly familiar with each other after working together at Chelsea and Bayern Munich, where they won four trophies between both clubs.
In terms of his playing career, Barry enjoyed stints at several lower-league clubs during a 13-year professional career, with his CV featuring Yeovil Town, Chester City, Forest Green and Fleetwood.
The midfielder retired in 2017 following a well overdue spell with then-National League side Wrexham, who decided to take him back after an incredibly short-lived spell.
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Barry initially signed for the Red Dragons in January 2010 on an 18-month deal but requested to leave the club after a single training session, according to then-manager Dean Saunders.
Speaking to talkSPORT, Saunders recalled: "He told me, 'Fleetwood have offered me double the money'. I said, 'Well, it's too late, you've signed for us now'."
"He said, 'Yeah but gaffer, come on, I can't turn that down'. I said, 'No, you've signed for us'. There had been back page headlines with [Barrie] the shirt on and everything.
"I couldn't believe it. I sat there for a couple of days and thought, 'If you don't want to be here, if you want to be somewhere else, you might as well go'. Then he went to Fleetwood."
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"The next time I saw him, he was on the bench at Chelsea. I was thinking, 'What's going on there? ' Apparently he met Frank Lampard on a coaching course, ended up helping Frank and working his way up.
"That is a story of how you can get on, from the bottom to Bayern Munich and he's now England assistant manager. Amazing. A nice lad as well, by the way."
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Barry described his latest role in the England set-up as "the pinnacle" of his career.
He added: "I didn’t hesitate when Thomas asked me to come and join him again. I know what a great place St. George’s Park is and how much of an advantage it gives our England teams, and the support it gives to coaches.
“This squad is very talented and have done so much to bring the country together, I look forward to meeting and working with them on this exciting project.”