England appoints Lee Carsley Three Lions interim manager

The English Football Association has stated that Lee Carsley, the current manager of England's under-21 squad, will temporarily assume leadership of the men's senior side.

The information was made public on Friday by the FA in a statement titled “Lee Carsley appointed as England men’s interim head coach’’.

Also, England, #England posted, “Lee Carsley has been appointed interim head coach of the #ThreeLions ahead of the start of our #NationsLeague campaign.”

After leading England for eight years, Gareth Southgate resigned from his position as manager following the team's defeat by Spain in the Euro 2024 final last month.

How Nigerians are Making NGN100K Weekly on their Smartphone Using WhatsApp

Carsley was now going to take Southgate's lead and graduate from the under-21 team into a senior position. 

It read, “Lee Carsley has been appointed interim head coach of England senior men ahead of the start of the 2024-25 UEFA Nations League campaign.

“Carsley will step up from his role in charge of the MU21s, initially for September’s fixtures away to Republic of Ireland and at home to Finland, but with a view to remaining in the position throughout autumn while the FA’s recruitment process for a new permanent head coach continues.

“The 50-year-old has been MU21 head coach since July 2021 and last year led the Young Lions to a first UEFA U21 European Championship since 1984. Prior to that, Carsley held various coaching roles across England’s development teams and was briefly in charge of the MU20s.”

In September, the new coach will oversee Nations League matches between Finland and the Republic of Ireland. Depending on how soon the FA concludes their search for Southgate's replacement, the coach may hold the position longer. 

“Carsley will step up from his role in charge of the MU21s (men’s under-21s) initially for September’s fixtures away to Republic of Ireland and at home to Finland,” the FA said in the statement.

“But with a view to remaining in the position throughout autumn while the FA’s recruitment process for a new permanent head coach continues.”

As a player, Carsley made over 300 Premier League appearances for Blackburn, Coventry, Everton, and Birmingham. He also won 40 caps for the Republic of Ireland.

Due to his several coaching positions across the FA's development teams, he is acquainted with many of the current senior squad members. In 2023, he guided England to their first victory in the under-21 Euros since 1984.

Nevertheless, other from brief interim positions at Brentford and Birmingham, he has no experience as a senior manager. 

How Nigerians are Making NGN100K Weekly on their Smartphone Using WhatsApp

“It’s an honour to step up and lead this England squad on an interim basis,” said Carsley.

“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 of recruiting a new manager.

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

The statement claims that he supported the larger technical team in UEFA EURO 2020, the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022, and UEFA EURO 2024 in Germany to be engaged in the last three big championships.

Carsley has also worked closely with the first teams at Coventry City, Sheffield United, Brentford, Manchester City, and Birmingham City, giving him a wealth of expertise at the club level. 

Mark Bullingham, FA CEO, said, “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.”

Ben Futcher will lead the MU21s in September's upcoming 2025 U21 EURO qualifiers in Carsley's place; the corresponding backroom teams for each squad will be announced soon.

Group 2 of the UEFA Nations League includes England, Finland, Greece, and the Republic of Ireland (September 10). 

How Nigerians are Making NGN100K Weekly on their Smartphone Using WhatsApp

CD: Punch