Lee Carsley set to incorporate extra surprises as he names England squad – comply with stay
Interim manager Lee Carsley names his second England squad ahead of this month’s Nations League fixtures.
Carsley will once again take charge of the Three Lions as they face Greece and Finland, with the England Under-21s boss starting his interim spell in charge with convincing wins against the Republic of Ireland and Finland.
Carsley included several new phases in his first selection, including the uncapped Noni Madueke, Morgan Gibbs-White and Angel Gomes, but with the season now in full swing the likes of Cole Palmer and Phil Foden will hope for a return.
Tottenham’s Dominic Solanke could be handed a call-up as he looks for a first England cap since 2017 after three goals in as many games for Spurs, while James Maddison has been in good form too. But will Kyle Walker return to the squad at the age of 34?
Three Lions face Greece at Wembley Thursday 10 October and Finland away from home on 13 October.
Follow the squad announcement, as well as reaction and analysis, below:
Maguire on England’s legacy
Harry Maguire is confident the current England squad, and the ones picked under Gareth Southgate, will leave a positive legacy in terms of values off the field.
He said: “I hope and think it’s something we’ll be remembered for. It’s part of our legacy.
“The journey we went on under Gareth was obviously really good on the pitch but we had great values off it. We’ve been a welcoming group and we’ve understood the importance of social causes.
“We try to improve things off the pitch and put things in place for future generations. Hopefully that’s what we’ve done.”
‘England to show correct values’ says Maguire
Harry Maguire spoke about how the England squad have been given a responsibility to display ‘correct values’ when the represent the national side.
Speaking about Black History Month in October, Maguire explained that it is important that any player, regardless of skin colour or other differences, should play football if they are good enough.
The Manchester United defender said: “It’s really important as a group of players and staff, and within the game as a whole, that if you’re good enough, you play. Nothing else matters.
“Within the coaching setup over the last few years and now with the new one it’s been drummed into us that we have a responsibility to show the correct values. That’s what we aim to do.”
Lee Carsley reveals unusual experiment for England’s new tactics
If England’s future opponents want to conduct an unusual scouting mission, they could find themselves scouring academy training sessions in the Midlands on Friday. The tactics Lee Carsley is considering using for Harry Kane or Jude Bellingham could be road-tested on some unknown youngsters. But this, for England’s interim manager, is life as normal.
Friday, for Carsley, has meant academy coaching; the Strachan Foundation, established by his former Coventry manager Gordon Strachan and based in Warwick, is near his home. For a man who believes his greatest strength is his coaching, it enables him to work not just with England’s elite, but youngsters without a professional club. And now they might get a first glimpse of his plans.
“I’ve got a few ideas which I want to try and it’ll be no different,” Carsley said. “I’ve got ideas from here that I want to try with them, leading up to the next game. There’s still a couple of things I want to improve on in terms of out of possession. So myself and James [Ryder, England’s senior performance analyst] will go down there on Friday.”
Who did Carsley pick in his first squad?
Carsley’s first England squad was an interesting one, as he picked four uncapped players – all of whom he had worked with extensively at U21 level.
Tino Livramento, Morgan Gibbs-White, Angel Gomes and Noni Madueke were the players called up for the first time, and all four made their debuts.
Notable players such as Kyle Walker, Phil Foden and Cole Palmer weren’t in the squad as they were still recovering from Euro 2024.
Potter responds to England manager links
It’s almost 18 months since Potter was sacked by Chelsea after a short spell in charge and the former Brighton boss is considering a return to the game.
“I am the only coach in world football to be linked with Stoke City and Napoli in the same week,” he said.
“A lot of what I’ve read in the media is untrue and false. I take what the media say with a pinch of salt. I’ve had lots of conversations with lots of people. For the respect of everybody, it’s best I keep it private.
“As an Englishman, of course it’s a fantastic job but I’m supportive of whatever the FA decide to do and whoever the coach is. I think Gareth [Southgate] did a fantastic job and I’m sure Lee [Carsley] – for however long it is – will do really well.
“I’m open to anything, to be honest. I’ve had a fantastic journey over the last 12 years from the fourth tier of Swedish football to the last eight of the Champions League and I would like to spend the next 12 years in the same position, developing players, teams, working with people and making a difference.
“Wherever that is, I’m open to everything.”
Graham Potter responds to Manchester United and England manager links
Graham Potter said he is “open to anything” as he considers his next step in management amid links with Manchester United and England.
It’s almost 18 months since Potter was sacked by Chelsea after a short spell in charge and the former Brighton boss is considering a return to the game.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag is under pressure after the club’s poor start to the season and Potter has a connection with sporting director Dan Ashworth from when they were colleagues at Brighton.
Appearing on Monday Night Football on Sky Sports, the 49-year-old said that he did not consider United to be an “impossible” task, while describing England as a “fantastic job” for an Englishman.
England’s October fixtures
Lee Carsley’s second international break features matches against Greece and Finland.
Greece, like the Three Lions, are unbeaten in their Nations League campaign and travel to London sitting top of Group B2 having defeated Finland and the Republic of Ireland in their opening two games.
A strong result against England, be that a win or a draw, will see them hold onto that position and move a step closer to automatic promotion.
England, meanwhile, will be hoping to continue their winning run under Carsley and prove that they are continuing to develop during this new era.
Carsley’s career at a glance
So how did Lee Carsley end up as England’s interim manager?
The Birmingham-born coach had a 17-year playing career, and most notably featured in the Premier League for Everton and Derby County, having started his career at the latter.
The defensive midfielder made his debut in 1994 for the Rams in what was then called the First Division (now known as the Championship). He became a regular starter at Pride Park, helping his side to promotion to the Premier League in 1995/96.
The most successful spell of his career came between 2002 and 2008 while playing for Everton, with the Toffees finishing as high as fourth and sixth during his time at Goodison.
At international level, Carsley represented the Republic of Ireland, making 40 appearances between 1997 and 2008.
The 50-year-old retired in 2011, with his last club being Coventry City. Having worked on his coaching badges while at Everton, Carsley was made manager of Coventry U18s later in 2011.
His first involvement with England came as a coach for the U19s in 2015, and he went on to become head coach of the U20s in 2020 after holding various youth-level development roles within the FA.
In July 2021, Carsley was appointed as the U21s head coach, winning the European Championship in 2023 after beating Spain 1-0 in the final with a team that included Cole Palmer, Angel Gomes, Anthony Gordon, Morgan Gibbs-White and Levi Colwill.
England squad announcement LIVE
Lee Carsley’s ‘reign’ began with fixtures against the Republic of Ireland – who he represented as a player – and Finland.
The former U21s manager began in the perfect fashion too, as England demolished his old side with a near-perfect first-half display in Dublin. The second half was less convincing, though the overall performance was enough to suggest that Carsley’s side will be decidedly different to those of Gareth Southgate.
Of course, whether the ex-Everton man has done enough to get the job on a permanent basis remains to be seen, but the follow-up to that game in Dublin was another impressive Three Lions performance as they dispatched Finland 2-0 at home, with Harry Kane making his 100th international cap.
England squad announcement LIVE
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of today’s England squad announcement.
Lee Carsley will announce the second squad of his tenure at around 2pm BST, and fans and the media alike are braced for some surprises from the former U21s coach.
His last squad contained four uncapped players, but with the new season now in full swing, will he recall big names such as Phil Foden and Cole Palmer?
Find out here as we follow all the build-up, news and reaction.