Odds slashed: Eddie Howe tipped to be named next England manager

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has emerged among the favourites to take over from Thomas Tuchel as England manager.

The German has been placed under pressure following the Three Lions' exit at the World Cup semi-final, which saw him make several baffling decisions.

England were beaten 2-1 by Argentina, with Enzo Fernandez and Lautaro Martinez scoring in the final minutes to overturn Anthony Gordon's opening goal.

Howe has been linked with the England job before, and has found his Newcastle future in doubt after a hugely disappointing season.

The Magpies finished 12th in the Premier League and looked to go backwards in all departments.

A summer that should have been about responding has only seen Howe's squad weakened further, with the exits of Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali.

Eddie Howe in bookies' race after World Cup exit

There had been huge positivity surrounding England and Tuchel before Wednesday's game.

The German's side had won a thriller against co-hosts Mexico in the round of 16 - a spirited performance that had brought the country together in celebration.

There was similarly jubilant scenes when England came from behind to beat Norway in the quarter-finals, courtesy of Jude Bellingham's brace.

And that good feeling looked set to continue when Gordon put the Three Lions ahead against Argentina, with Tuchel's side just 20 minutes of normal time away from the World Cup final.

Then, the changes. The goal-scorer came off for Ezri Konsa, in a move that saw England's back-four become a back-five. Then came Dan Burn and Nico O'Reilly, replacing Reece James and Declan Rice in midfield.

All of a sudden, England had gone from potentially pushing for a second goal to being forced to sit on their goal-line and defend cross after cross from Lionel Messi.

Eventually, that defence was breached and Tuchel's side were beaten, with his decisions called into question massively.

One major bookmaker has slashed Howe's odds of taking over to 7/2 in the wake of the result, while Pep Guardiola is the favourite at 11/4.

Thomas Tuchel likely to continue

Tuchel is under contract as England boss until 2028, and there is no prospect of him leaving after Wednesday's exit.

The FA are keen to give their manager's time and multiple major tournaments in charge, and the World Cup semi-final is not a bad place to start.

For many England fans, however, it feels as if a real opportunity has been missed.

The feeling when the team were knocked out at the same stage in 2018 was one of disappointment, but excitement at the start of a new England.

This time, it rather feels like a story that has been read time and time again over the last eight years.