LONDON: Lee Carsley has been appointed Engl­and interim coach ahead of their Nations League campaign which begins next month, the Football Association said on Friday.

Carsley has been managing England Under-21s since 2021, and led them to the European Under-21 Cha­m­pionship title in 2023.

The FA said Carsley will initially manage England for their September fixtures, but with a view to staying on throughout the autumn while they continue the search for a permanent manager.

He takes charge of the senior side after Gareth Southgate resigned last month after almost eight years as manager following England’s defeat in the Euro 2024 final to Spain.

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

The 50-year-old Cars­ley’s first game will be on Sept 7 away to Ireland, for whom he made 40 appearances having qualified to play for the country through his grandmother.

“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,” FA CEO Mark Bullingham said.

“He offers us a very str­o­ng interim solution and we are confident he will perform well in the UEFA Nati­ons League games ahead.”

England also have a home game with Finland in September and Carsley’s task will be to make a str­o­ng start in the Nations Lea­gue campaign in which they will aim to win promotion back to League A in a group also containing Greece.

Carsley’s coaching car­eer began at Coventry City, where he finished playing, with two spells as caretaker. He later managed Brentford before a short spell as interim Birm­ing­ham City coach.

Published in Dawn, August 10th, 2024