LEE CARSLEY is set to be named England interim manager for next month’s Nations League games.
The Under-21s boss is on the shortlist to replace Gareth Southgate and will be in charge against Republic of Ireland on September 7 and Finland at Wembley three days later.
Ex-England left-back Ashley Cole will be part of his coaching staff.
Carsley, 50, led the U21s to European Championship glory last year.
He will follow in the footsteps of Southgate, Howard Wilkinson and Stuart Pearce by managing both junior and senior teams.
Southgate quit two days after England’s Euros 2024 final loss to Spain.
He resigned after an eight-year reign which encompassed two European Championship finals and a World Cup semi-final in 2018.
Newcastle chief Eddie Howe and fellow Englishman Graham Potter are contenders for the permanent job, along with German ex-Chelsea chief Thomas Tuchel.
Last month we revaled that Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna has emerged as another candidate after back-to-back promotions at Portman Road.
FA technical director John McDermott is drawing up the shortlist to replace Southgate.
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And he worked with Northern Irishman McKennam 38 when he was a youth coach at Tottenham.
McDermott was Spurs’ head of coaching and development and he is a huge fan of what McKenna has achieved
It’s understood FA chiefs have an “open mind” on whether the next boss should be English.
Apart from Tuchel, that could boost the chances of another ex-Stamford Bridge chief in Argentinian Mauricio Pochettino.
LATEST odds from William Hill on who will replace Gareth Southgate
Lionesses’ manager Sarina Wiegmann has also been mentioned, having won the Uefa Women’s Championship in 2022 five year after doing the same with her native Netherlands.
Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola were also talked of at one stage, albeit somewhat fancifully.
Former Liverpool boss Klopp recently ruled himself out of the running.
Speaking at the end of July, Klopp said: “At the moment, there is nothing at all in terms of jobs. No club, no country.
“A few people must not have heard this part.”
England legend Frank Lampard, 46, who bossed Chelsea and Everton, could be an outside candidate.
However, Carsley’s impending interim appointment has helped him overtake Potter as the bookies’ favourite to land the job permanently.
Meanwhile, Southgate has been spotted enjoying time off with his family in the Algarve.
Carsley is set to become England’s interim manager, just like Southgate did in 2016 following Sam Allardyce‘s infamous resignation.
As a coach, Carsley has worked with Coventry City, Brentford, Manchester City, Birmingham and England U21s – winning the Euros in 2023.
LEE Carsley led England Under-21s to winning the Euros in 2023, their first title in the competition since 1984.
And he is likely to prefer some young players when he takes charge of the national team against the Republic of Ireland on September 7 and Finland at Wembley three days later.
Here are seven youngsters he could turn to.
Cole Palmer
Chelsea star Palmer was one of the stars of that Under-21 campaign, and showed he is ready for the next level at the Euros in Germany, scoring in the final against Spain.
Anthony Gordon
The second member of that Under-21 squad to step up for Euro 2024, Gordon’s versatility could work to his benefit.
Curtis Jones
Jones of Liverpool narrowly missed out on a Euro 2024 call-up. He was part of Southgate’s provisional squad, only to then be cut when 33 became 26.
Harvey Elliott
Liverpool’s Elliott is another who could be knocking on the door with a strong start. The former Fulham man has made an impact in central midfield or in a more advanced role.
Jarrad Branthwaite
Everton ace Branthwaite was in England’s provisional Euros squad but was unlucky not to make the final 26 after Harry Maguire was ruled out through injury.
Levi Colwill
Chelsea star Colwill is a left-footed centre-back who has looked comfortable against tough opponents.
Jacob Ramsey
The Aston Villa man could stake claim for a place, having played for Carsley at Under-21 level.
During his playing career, Carsley was at Derby, Blackburn, Coventry, Everton and Birmingham.
He retired with Coventry but made his name as a talented midfielder during his six seasons with Everton.
He also won 40 caps for the Republic of Ireland before retiring in 2011.
Carsley joined the England youth setup as a specialist coach in 2015, before being appointed head coach of England U20 in 2020 .
He was then promoted to England U21 in 2021 and lead them to victory in the European Championship in 2023, their first title in the competition since 1984.
Here's how outgoing Gareth Southgate measures up to the top foreign candidate to succeed him - Thomas Tuchel.
THOMAS TUCHEL
Augsburg II 2007-2008
P34 W 20 D8 L6 Win percentage: 58.82%
Mainz 05 2009-2014
P184 W72 D46 L66 Win percentage: 39.13%
Borussia Dortmund 2015-2017
P107 W67 D23 L17 Win percentage: 62.62%
Honours: DFB Pokal
Paris Saint Germain 2018-2020
P127 W95 D13 L16 Win percentage: 74.8%
Honours: Ligue 1 X2, Coupe de France, Coupe de la Ligue, Trophee des Champions x2
Chelsea 2021-2022
P100 W60 D24 L16 Win percentage: 60%
Honours: Champions League, Super Cup, Club World Cup
Bayern Munich 2023-2024
P61 W37 D8 L16 Win percentage: 60.66%
Honours: Bundesliga
GARETH SOUTHGATE
Middlesbrough 2006-2009
P151 W54 D43 Win percentage: 35.76%
England U21 2013-2016
P37 W27 D5 L5 Win percentage: 72.97%
Honours: Toulon tournament
England 2016-Present
P102 W61 D24 L17 Win percentage: 59.8%
The Football Association has not commented on any potential candidates or plans for next month’s matches.
In a statement last month, chief executive Mark Bullingham said: “Our UEFA Nations League campaign starts in September and we have an interim solution in place if it is needed.”
I’VE a message for all those who reckon the search for England’s next manager is a two-horse race — you’re bang on!
And while we’re at it, here’s another… I bet very few of you have narrowed it down to the same couple of candidates as me.
If the odds are spot-on, finding Gareth Southgate’s replacement is a toss-up between Eddie Howe and Graham Potter.
Well in my book it’s a straight head-to-head, too. But I’m even more convinced that the men I see as obvious front-runners will be lucky to even get an interview.
I doubt there are many who’d agree with me either, when I say the FA should look no further than Steven Gerrard or Frank Lampard for the next Three Lions boss.
Either of them could do the job standing on their head, yet probably neither will get so much as a phone call.
Mind you, plenty of people will insist there’s no reason why they should because they’ve already written off both as failures.
Forgetting that Frank reached an FA Cup final and finished fourth in his first spell at Chelsea.
Or the fact that Everton were in such a mess, he never had a prayer when he went there.
There’s every chance they’ll gloss over Stevie’s time at Rangers, despite their first title win in a decade — unbeaten as well — and say he was a flop at Aston Villa.
But you show me a manager who’s not had a tough time of it somewhere down the line. Potter certainly did at Chelsea — he only lasted 31 games and lost 11 of them.
So did Unai Emery, the man who replaced Stevie as boss at Villa, when he was Arsenal manager. It happens to everyone out there.
So what’s the difference between Potter and Frank?
Why is one an obvious candidate for England, yet the other not even worthy of a mention?
Nothing against Eddie or Graham, by the way. Eddie’s doing well enough at Newcastle without absolutely tearing it up.
And Potter did a good job at Brighton before Chelsea but he had good recruitment and was working with good players.
Look at some of the names he had and where they ended up.
Alexis Mac Allister won the World Cup and went to Liverpool. Leandro Trossard is at Arsenal, Marc Cucurella and Moises Caicedo joined Chelsea, Yves Bissouma is with Tottenham.
There’s no doubt Potter or Howe would be a safe pair of hands. A steady Eddie. Just like Gareth was eight years ago — which is why they will probably get a chance.
But if the FA want someone steeped in football knowledge — at international level too — and who knows the game inside out at that level, both Frank and Stevie leave them standing.
The players would love it as well. They’d be desperate to play for them.
They would have nothing but respect whether it was Lampard or Gerrard as boss.
So, are they both on the scrapheap for good because they’ve had a failure somewhere down the line? There won’t be any managers left before long if that’s all it takes.
And here’s another thing as well. While you need a thick skin to be a club manager, it’s not a patch on the one demanded at international level.
That goes for players — certainly the senior ones — as well. And Stevie and Frank could tell you all about that better than most.
Some of the stuff Frank had to put up with back in the day was horrendous, horrible stuff.
It was the same for Gerro, especially when he was captain.
But the pair of them stood up and came through it. And that’s the sort of character you want and need as England manager.
It’s not about being a fantastic coach. When do you really get the chance to prove that with England? You don’t.
You’re not out there every day doing shape, shadow play and the like. For one thing you tend to pick the team at the last minute because you don’t want it leaking out!
It’s about managing, not coaching and there is a difference. It’s about picking the best players in the right positions.
It’s about attacking and being positive — and in my book, nothing would be more positive than giving Stevie or Frank a call.
But I’d be very surprised if anyone at the FA even picks up the phone and dials their numbers.
