Lee Carsley announced as interim England manager after Southgate exit

Lee Carsley has been appointed as the temporary manager of the England national men's soccer team.

The 50-year-old is following the path of ex-Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate by moving up from his position as coach of England Under-21s.

Carsley guided the team to victory in the European Under-21 Championship, defeating Spain 1-0 in the final in July of the previous year.

Even though he was born in Birmingham, he played for the Republic of Ireland national team because his grandmother is from County Cork.

However, Carlsey declined the opportunity to lead the Republic of Ireland national team in March.

The ex-midfielder who focused on defense played for teams in England like Derby County, Blackburn Rovers, and Everton during his career.

He was chosen as the temporary leader of the Three Lions after Southgate stepped down from the position following England's loss to Spain in the Euro 2024 final last month.

In a recent announcement, Carsley expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to take charge of the England squad temporarily. Given his close relationships with the players and experience in international football, he believes he is the right person to lead the team while the FA searches for a new manager.

My top focus is to make sure things keep going smoothly, and our aim is to achieve promotion in the UEFA Nations League.

According to the FA, Carsley will be in charge of England for the Nations League games against Ireland and Finland next month. He will stay in this role until a new permanent head coach is hired.

He will announce the players he has chosen for the first England squad in nearly three weeks, on the 29th of August.

The FA's top boss, Mark Bullingham, praised Carsley, saying, "Lee is an excellent coach who is familiar to most of our current senior players, as he has coached them either at the international or club level."

"He has given us a powerful temporary solution and we believe he will do well in the upcoming UEFA Nations League matches. We appreciate Lee for taking on the role of managing the team while we carry on with our hiring process."

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Supporters are eager to find out if Carsley can manage the toughest challenge in English football.

Lee Carsley has gone from relative obscurity to becoming one of the most prominent figures in the football world.

Currently, the 50-year-old is serving as the temporary England manager for just two games.

However, there are already signs suggesting that he may continue as ruler until the end of the year and throughout the entirety of the Nations League campaign.

The FA has just begun the search for a replacement for Gareth Southgate as the crucial World Cup qualifying matches start next year.

Who is the FA looking to hire, are they interested in the position, and can they fit within the budget? All possibilities are being considered, with names such as Mauricio Pochettino and Eddie Howe being mentioned as potential choices.

And don't forget how Southgate got that position - he was temporarily moved up from coaching the under-21s, just like Carsley.

Southgate stayed for a total of eight years before choosing to leave last month.

Even though he led the Three Lions to their first finals since 1966 and unfortunately lost in both tournaments, Carsley has already achieved success for his country by winning England's first under-21 Euros title since 1984.

However, hardly anyone in England, especially football enthusiasts, would be familiar with Carsley, despite his extensive background playing in the Premier League and representing Ireland on 40 occasions.

All eyes will be on him as he prepares to face Ireland in Dublin next month.

How well will he handle the attention and managing top Premier League players? This could ultimately decide how much he enjoys being the manager of the England team in the long run.

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Sky News sports reporter Rob Harris has talked about how Carsley's hiring is similar to when Southgate got his job in 2016 following Sam Allardyce's unexpected exit.

Harris mentioned that Southgate was managing the U21 team back then.

He mentioned that the Football Association is emphasizing the fact that Carsley has been involved with not only England's U21 team, but also with the broader technical team during the last two Euros and the upcoming 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

"He has spent time in that setting which enabled him to collaborate closely with Gareth Southgate."

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Harris mentioned that with Carsley's hiring, the FA can focus on the future and anticipate the beginning of qualifying games for the 2026 World Cup.

Ex-Lincoln defender Ben Futcher has been appointed as the manager for the upcoming September games of the England Under-21 team.