England are expected to name Lee Carsley as Interim Manager in time for the upcoming September internationals. Daniel Wales looks at who Carsley is and what he will face.
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00:00It was a summer of mixed emotions for England fans, despite the three lines reaching the
00:06final of the European Championship in Germany, below par performances and scrutiny over tactical
00:13choices made it a tournament fraught with frustration amongst the highs.
00:18From draws against Denmark and Slovenia, and the verge of elimination against Slovakia,
00:23to an injury time winner against the Dutch, it was quite the ride during June and July
00:29from an English perspective in Germany.
00:37Ultimately following defeat in the final to Spain in Berlin, Gareth Southgate resigned
00:43as England manager after what was his fourth major tournament in the role.
00:53Southgate had brought much needed unity to the England team when he was appointed as
00:57interim manager in 2016, following the fallout of the national team's defeat at the 2016
01:04Euros against Iceland.
01:07Back to the present, and following his departure in July, we report that Carsley was in contention
01:12to be appointed.
01:13The current England Under-21 boss, Lee Carsley, has also been touted.
01:18With games fast approaching, could he be an interim replacement if the FA choose to wait
01:22for a foreign option such as Jurgen Klopp or Pep Guardiola?
01:29If Carsley is to be given the role, and join the long list of England men's team managers,
01:35even on an interim basis, he must first deal with a trip to Dublin to face the Republic
01:40of Ireland in the Nations League, the country he represented as a player, before returning
01:45to Wembley with England to welcome Finland in the same competition following England's
01:51relegation under Gareth Southgate in the previous edition of the tournament.
01:56But, what do we know about Carsley?
01:59As a player, he had spells with clubs including Blackburn Rovers, as well as playing for Everton
02:04at Goodison Park, before joining Birmingham City, amongst others, in a 17-year career
02:11playing in English football.
02:17As England manager though, he faces a much bigger challenge.
02:21England have reached two finals at the last four major tournaments, and reached a semi-final
02:26and quarter-final in the other two.
02:28The next step is to get over the line.
02:31Whether that is with Carsley remains to be seen, but even if he is only a temporary manager,
02:36it will be him who lays the foundations for what many will hope is a golden era of English
02:41football in major tournaments.
02:43Carsley himself knows how to win having guided the U21s to European Championship success
02:48in 2023, which certainly bodes well for the future of English football.
02:55It is now about getting key decisions right going forward.