Lee Carsley speaks for the first time as England appoint him as interim head coach

As a player, the Birmingham-born midfielder made 340 top flight appearances and won 40 caps for Republic of Ireland including playing at the 2002 FIFA World Cup.

Carsley 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.”

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.”

In Carsley’s absence, Ben Futcher will take charge of the MU21s for September’s forthcoming 2025 U21 EURO qualifiers, with respective backroom teams for both squads to be confirmed in due course.

England are in UEFA Nations League B Group 2 alongside Finland, Greece and Republic of Ireland.

Tickets are now on sale here for England v Finland at Wembley Stadium connected by EE on Tuesday 10 September (7.45pm kick-off). All other fixture details can be found here.

FAVOURITES TO BECOME NEW ENGLAND MANAGER:

Lee Carsley – 6/4
Graham Potter – 9/4
Eddie Howe – 5/1
Mauricio Pochettino – 8/1
Pep Guardiola – 10/1
Frank Lampard – 12/1
Ange Postecoglou – 20/1

CARSLEY’S CAREER:

Youth
1992–1994 – Derby County

Senior
1994–1999 – Derby County – 166 games (5 goals)
1999–2000 – Blackburn Rovers – 54 games (12 goals)
2000–2002 – Coventry City – 52 games (5 goals)
2002–2008 – Everton – 198 games (13 goals)
2008–2010 – Birmingham City – 53 games (3 goals)
2010–2011 – Coventry City – 25 games (2 goals)
Total – 548 games (40 goals)

International career
1995 – Republic of Ireland U21 – 1 game (0 goals)
1997 – Republic of Ireland B – 1 game (0 goals)
1997–2008 – Republic of Ireland – 40 games (0 goals)

Managerial career
2012 – Coventry City (caretaker)
2013 – Coventry City (caretaker)
2015 – Brentford
2017 – Birmingham City (caretaker)
2020–2021 – England U20
2021– England U21
2024– England (interim)

This is how fans reacted as Lee Carsley speaks for the first time as England appoint him as their interim head coach…

@grandoldteam: What an appointment. Congratulations @lecarso 👏

@ImJamieMartin: Im not against it. Spain have La Fuente, Argentina have Scaloni – both experienced in international youth setups. Nothing wrong with England appointing a character with similar youth experience. Think Lee Carsley will be a good interim.

@Hammer_On_X: All the best Lee.

@CraigHosking40: Excellent decision. Spain did it with their under 21 manager, and it worked. If he proves himself in the upcoming games, he’ll surely get it on a permanent basis.

@CarlosM9B: Very good appointment. If he can replicate his style of play and winning mentality then he gets it on permanent basis, if not then go after Guardiola next summer.

@Matt_Cooper85: Great decision. He’ll smash it.

@LewisStubbs1302: You just know he’s getting the job full time.

@Nye_1990: Worked wonders with the 21s to be fair

@Georgeous91: Hopefully he can get us playing like he got the U21’s playing! 😍

@PompeyFan202188: Results aside, if he is to get his chance permanently then it’s going to take a huge shakeup in dropping Southgate’s favourites and a more attaching style

@theStuVoo:
🎵 we’ve got super Lee Carsley
He knows exactly what we need
Stonesy at the back, Harry in attack
Taking England up the nations league

@CarlWhite83: sounds like a case of see how Carsley gets on, goes well they make him permanent, if it doesn’t he can head back to u21s

@M_BreezyFM: Honestly the best decision the FA could have made. See how he gets on over the next few games/months and if he’s doing well, give him the job full time.

@Chris78901: Good luck, Lee. Got the U21s playing spellbinding football – if he can get the national team playing a fraction as well, we’re in for a treat 🦁

@iLukasx100: Wins a couple games in the nations league, FA get ahead of themselves and appoint him permanently. It’s boring and predictable 😔

@Alex_Red_87: Good appointment for the mean time. He’s done fantastic with youth sides and knows the system and can continue the stability of side

@tomhwilliams23: All for it. It’s only on an interim basis, and although it will likely become permanent, it hasn’t as of yet. Promoting from within has not only worked for other countries, it’s worked for us too. International management is very different; Carsley has shown success before 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🙌