Date: 16th October 2016 at 8:59am
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Sam Allardyce will go down in the history books as the most successful England manager ever, winning 100 per cent of his games in charge. Yes, just that one!

However, his reign ended swiftly and in disgrace after just 67 days due to an undercover sting by The Telegraph, but just how would the Three Lions fare under the management of new Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce down the line.

Currently, Gareth Southgate is England’s interim manager for the next two games, although Bruce was tipped as a possible future long-term candidate before his appointment at the Championship outfit earlier this week.

Well, there is no sure-fire way of finding out what could have been, however, our friends over at Football Manager have the tools to give us the most accurate answer, so we’ve asked them to have a look into the future for us and find out.

14th May 2016 - Sky Bet Championship - Play-Off Semi-Final (1st Leg) - Derby County v Hull City - Hull manager Steve Bruce - Photo: Simon Stacpoole / Offside.

Photo: Simon Stacpoole / Offside.

So; lets imagine, 55-year-old Bruce has just been appointed Three Lions manager on a permanent deal, how well will Bruce have done in charge of England, rather than Villa…

Thankfully, the former Sunderland and Hull City boss would have guided England comfortably through the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign, with only surprise losses away at Slovenia and Lithuania to dent his record.

Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli shines throughout the process, with an average rating of 7.44 throughout the 10 fixtures.

Spurs team-mate, Harry Kane, is predominantly used as Bruce’s preferred lone striker and notches up seven goals in qualifying, including a hat-trick in Malta.

Heading into the World Cup finals in Russia, Bruce’s side are drawn against Italy, Ghana and Mexico in the group stages.

08 October 2016 - Football International Match - England v Malta :Wayne Rooney of England.Photo: Mark Leech

Three Lions skipper, Rooney – Photo: Mark Leech / Offside.

An opening defeat to Italy puts England on the back foot, but they progress courtesy of a 3-0 win over Ghana and a nervy 0-0 draw against Mexico to secure second spot in the group.

Moving into the knockout stages, Bruce’s Three Lions are paired with Argentina. Lionel Messi & Co. prove too strong for England, running out 3-1 winners. FC Barcelona legend Messi grabbed a brace, with Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero adding the third. Wayne Rooney grabbed the consolation for England.

Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana was England’s top performer at the tournament with a 7.39 average rating, whilst Kane’s two goals proved enough for him to earn the top goalscorer bragging rights.
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