FA announces interim England manager

Lee Carsley has been announced as interim manager of the England men’s football team.

The 50-year-old is following in the footsteps of former Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate by stepping up from his role as coach of England Under-21s.

Carsley led the side to glory in the European Under-21 Championship with a 1-0 victory over Spain in the final in July last year.

Although he was born in Birmingham, he represented the Republic of Ireland during his playing career through his grandmother, who is from County Cork.

However, Carlsey turned down an offer to manage the Republic of Ireland national team in March.

The former defensive midfielder spent his playing career in England, with stints at clubs including Derby County, Blackburn Rovers and Everton.

His appointment as interim boss of the Three Lions comes after Southgate left the role following England‘s Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain last month.

In a statement, Carsley said: “It’s an honour to step up and lead this England squad on an interim basis. As I am very familiar with the players and the cycle of international football, it makes sense for me to guide the team while the FA continues the process to recruit a new manager.

“My main priority is to ensure continuity and our goal is to secure promotion in the UEFA Nations League.”

Carsley will now lead England in Nations League matches next month against Ireland and Finland, the FA said, with the view that he remains in the position “while the recruitment process for a new permanent head coach continues”.

He will name his first England squad in just under three weeks on 29 August.

Mark Bullingham, FA chief executive, said of Carsley: “Lee is a fantastic coach who is well known to the majority of our current senior squad having worked with most at international or club level.

“He offers us a very strong interim solution and we are confident he will perform well in the UEFA Nations League games ahead. We are grateful to Lee for stepping up to manage the team while we continue with our recruitment process.”

Fans wait to see if Carsley can handle English football’s brightest spotlight

Rob Harris

Sports correspondent

@RobHarris

Lee Carsley has been elevated from the virtually unknown to one of football’s most high-profile roles.

For now the 50-year-old is only interim England manager for two matches.

But the indications are already there that his reign could extend to the end of the year and the entire Nations League campaign.

The FA’s recruitment process to find Gareth Southgate’s successor has only just started as the more important World Cup qualifying begins next year.

Who does the FA want, do they want the job and can they be afforded? All issues being weighed up with a range of options floated – from Mauricio Pochettino to Eddie Howe.

And remember how Southgate gained that job – being promoted temporarily from under-21s coach just like Carsley.

Southgate ended up staying for eight years until leaving at his choosing last month.

And while he took the Three Lions to their first finals since 1966 – and lost both at Euros – Carsley has already delivered silverware for his country by landing England’s first under-21 Euros title since 1984.

But few in England – let alone football fans – would recognise Carsley despite all the Birmingham-born former midfielder’s experience playing in the Premier League and 40 times for Ireland.

The spotlight will be thrust on him in the build-up to taking on Ireland in Dublin next month.

How will he cope with the limelight and leading Premier League stars? That could determine how long – and if – he wants to stay as England manager.

Sky News sports correspondent Rob Harris has commented on how Carsley’s appointment mirrors how Southgate landed the job in 2016 after Sam Allardyce’s sudden departure.

“Southgate himself was an U21 manager at the time,” Harris said.

He added: “Something that the FA is highlighting today is that he [Carsley] has not just been part of England’s U21 set up, but the wider technical team around the last two Euros and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

“He has been around that environment which allowed him to work closely with Gareth Southgate.”

Harris said Carsley’s appointment now gives the FA time to think about the longer term and look forward to the start of qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup.

Former Lincoln centre-back Ben Futcher will lead England Under-21s for their September fixtures.

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