- Lee Carsley takes charge of England until the end of the year
- The coach is hesitant to take over permanently.
- The Three Lions are looking for a world-class manager to work for them.
England caretaker manager Lee Carsley has suggested the Three Lions are keen to appoint a world-class manager in the future, but is not 100 per cent certain he will take up the job permanently if the opportunity arises.
Carsley, 50, has been put in charge of England’s first-team on an interim basis after former coach Gareth Southgate stepped down in July, just two days after their Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain.
Carsley, a former Everton player in the Premier League, has been given the job of England manager until the end of the year as the Football Association continues its search for a new head coach, and has won three and lost one of his past four games.
*Carsley had previously confirmed that he was not interested in taking up a permanent job with the first team and would return to work with the Under-21s after his time at the club. But after leading the team to a 3-1 win over Finland in the UEFA Nations League on Sunday. He remained tight-lipped about the issue.
“I’ve always said the same thing. I’ve had the opportunity to work six games and I’m happy with that,” Carsley said. “It’s a privileged position and it’s really enjoyable. But the last two days I haven’t enjoyed it at all. I’m not used to losing in the England team after the home defeat to Greece.
“People always try to set goals. Of course I know that. For me, this job deserves a world-class coach who can lead the team to success. But right now, I am still in the role and trying to build on what I have.”
Meanwhile, when asked at the press conference after England’s win over Finland whether he would not be in the running for the England manager’s job, Carsley said: “Definitely not. What I’m trying to do is one of the top jobs in the ufabet https://ufabet999.app world. I don’t see myself as good enough to be part of the selection process.”
“We deserve to have a top coach, the players we have, we have a good chance of winning trophies. That’s what I’m looking for. It’s true that this is a world-class job, it’s the best job in football. Whoever gets it will be at the top level. Of course, it’s an honour for me to do this job.”
Carsley said he had spoken to the FA’s technical director John McDermott, who is one of the people responsible for the recruitment process for the manager’s job on a daily basis, but would not give an update on the process to replace Southgate.
Carsley, who previously managed Brentford, Birmingham City and Coventry, has revealed his managerial experience is the reason why he is reluctant to speak publicly about whether he wants to take the England job permanently.
“I’m certainly reluctant to say that because in the past when I’ve been in managerial roles or in temporary roles, I’ve thought deep down that I don’t want to do it anymore, but really it’s because I’ve failed to do it, so I’m not going to talk about it,” Carsley said.
“The important thing is to keep an open mind. I don’t take any decisions lightly. I’m thinking carefully about how the team should play, what team to choose. This is the challenge and what I should be focusing on the most at the moment,” Carsley concluded.