Lee Carsley not guaranteed England job as FA holds talks with other managers (original) (raw)

England have left the door open in their hunt for a permanent manager by sounding out a number of external candidates.

Telegraph Sport can reveal that, despite Lee Carsley’s encouraging audition as interim head coach so far, the Football Association has spoken with other managers.

Carsley is currently considered the favourite to permanently succeed Gareth Southgate, but the FA is keen to explore all options before making a final decision.

It is understood that the FA has spoken to a wide variety of managers, but refused to comment on the process or the identity of those candidates.

Eddie Howe, Graham Potter and Frank Lampard remain on the FA’s radar, while some sources still claim that Pep Guardiola would be its dream appointment.

Jurgen Klopp has already ruled himself out of the running, while Mauricio Pochettino has been confirmed as the new head coach of the United States national team.

Carsley, though, is the current favourite for the permanent post after securing two wins from his first two games in interim charge.

He has also received support from his players over the course of the international break to get the full-time job, with his style of play more open than under Southgate.

“We’re really lucky with the players that we’ve got on the pathway, we’ve got some really exciting players. It’s important that we give them the stage to do what they’re good at,” he said.

“That’s what we’ve tried to do over the last couple of games. We’ve had that paid back with the performances the players have put in. It’s not surprising because of the quality we’ve got.

“When I first started coaching, I coached players like I played which, as you can imagine, wasn’t very good to watch. Sometimes it’s difficult to adjust your eye to players who are more creative and make more mistakes, but make more chances and they hurt the opposition more. So I’ve had to adjust to my way.”

Not only did England beat Republic of Ireland and Finland, Carsley impressed FA chiefs with his handling of the debate surrounding him not singing the national anthem and made some brave squad and team decisions.

“Am I up for it? It is more about football, definitely. Am I up for it? I think I am up for it,” he said, before being asked whether it is the ‘impossible job’.

“I’ve not heard that one, no. Not heard that. I think it’s a really good job, it’s a job where, when you look at different opportunities, the first thing you think is: ‘Can you win?’ Can you be in a position where you can win? This job definitely ticks that box. We’ve got the players to be really, not only be competitive, but to win a major trophy.

“From a confidence point of view, I think I’ve shown I can do it or we’ve shown that we can do it as a staff. I said at the first press conference we had that I feel like a self pair of hands and I think we’ve shown that.”

Carsley confirmed this week that he had been given six games in interim charge, which means the next matches he must prepare for are those against Greece and Finland in October ahead of the final double-header of that spell, against Greece and Republic of Ireland in November.

The FA will continue its appointment process until then with a view to settling on a permanent successor to Southgate, whether that is Carsley or somebody else, before the 2026 World Cup qualification campaign kicks off.

Carsley’s next test will be to integrate star players Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer, who all missed his first two games in charge, into his squad and team in October without upsetting England’s balance.

Carsley will be hoping Bellingham is fit for the October internationals after the Real Madrid midfielder missed the opening England matches of the season with a flexor-muscle injury.

“I’ve spoken to him by text to see how his injury is because he’s a player that I’m really looking forward to working with,” said Carsley. “Players like Jude, Phil [Foden], Cole [Palmer] all missed out and they’re all outstanding talents and I’m lucky to work with Phil and Cole.

“I think I had Jude when I was assisting with the 21s for a couple of camps. Looking forward to working with him. He’s a player who is highly motivated to play for England, do well and coming off the back of a disappointing summer in terms of losing in the final, I’m sure he’s motivated as well.”