RB Leipzig sporting director Ralf Rangnick has confirmed he held talks with the Football Association over the England job following Euro 2016, but added that the governing body had wanted to appoint an English manager.
Rangnick was linked with the Three Lions post following Sam Allardyce's exit in September, but reports in Germany claimed that there had been no contact between the 58-year-old and the FA since an interview after the summer's tournament in France.
Speaking to Der Tagesspiegel, Rangnick said that talks with the FA only took place during the summer after Roy Hodgson's dismissal, with Allardyce eventually being appointed.
"A week after England's Euros exit, the FA contacted me," Rangnick, who won promotion to the Bundesliga with Leipzig as coach and sporting director, said. "It's quite a compliment and honour for our work here when for the first since Fabio Capello a foreign coach is considered for this office.
"But two days later, they opted for an Englishman. The English association in the summer wanted to pay respect to the English manager guild."
Rangnick has overseen Leipzig's rise to German football's top tier, and just under a decade ago was also responsible for Hoffenheim's promotion to the Bundesliga.
He said that he never considered leaving Leipzig despite contact with the FA, while he feels England have a lot of work to do if they want to catch up with the world's better sides.
"In no case I would have completely given up my current task at RB Leipzig," Rangnick said. "It's not about being able to say that I've coached here and I've coached there, but the question to me always is: What can I change, can I make the difference?
"It's beyond all question for me that there need to be structural changes in England similar to those in Germany at the turn of the century. It's not enough to just appoint a new head coach to catch up on nations like Germany, France, Spain, Italy and even Portugal."
The FA is on the lookout for Allardyce's permanent successor, with Gareth Southgate currently England's interim manager.