Soccer

Lee Carsley given England manager job until FA finds successor to Southgate

Former Ireland international was a target for the FAI before they hired Heimir Hallgrímsson

England interim manager Lee Carsley. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA Wire
Fri Aug 09 2024 - 14:24

Lee Carsley will take interim charge of England while the search for Gareth Southgate’s successor continues, the Football Association has said.

The FA said in a statement that Carsley would step up from his role as the Under-21 manager for next month’s Nations League games against the Republic of Ireland and Finland “with a view to remaining in the position throughout autumn while the FA’s recruitment process for a new permanent head coach continues”.

Carsley, a former Ireland midfielder, 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 won the European Under-21 Championship last summer, when his side won all six matches without conceding a goal and beat Spain in the final. He has been in charge of the England under-21s since July 2021 and has held other development team coaching roles with the FA.

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Carsley was approached to become Ireland manager and was believed to be the FAI’s first choice but he turned down the job which was given to Iceland’s Heimir Hallgrímsson. Hallgrímsson is now set to clash with Carsley in his first competitive game as manager, which will take place on September 7th at the Aviva Stadium.

Carsley said he was approached by the FAI for the Ireland job in November.

“[It was] really informal, enjoyable, for around an hour. It went no further.

“It was good to see what their thoughts were and to explore whether I was ready to take that next step. It just went no further. I didn’t push it.”

Mark Bullingham, the FA’s 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.” – Guardian