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Morgan Gibbs-White has called Lee Carsley “the perfect guy for this job” ahead of the interim manager taking charge of England’s senior team for the first time this weekend.
After July’s Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain proved the end of Gareth Southgate’s eight-year reign, the Football Association once again turned to their Under-21s boss to step up.
Southgate was in charge of the U21s when he was parachuted in following Sam Allardyce’s swift, ignominious exit in 2016 and did enough to earn the senior team post on a permanent basis, just as Carsley now has the chance to do.
The former Everton and Derby midfielder masterminded last summer’s U21 Euros win and uncapped Gibbs-White – one of five members of that triumphant side selected for September’s Nations League double-header – feels like this role “suits him perfectly”.
“I’ve worked with Cars before, I know how he works,” the Nottingham Forest playmaker said.
“He’s a great manager tactically, man-management is great and I was buzzing when I found out that he got the job because I felt like he really deserved it, and I feel like it suits him perfectly.
“So hopefully the games go well for him, and you never know what the future holds.”
Carsley returns to familiar surroundings for his first match in charge given Saturday’s Nations League opener is in Dublin against the Republic of Ireland, who he represented as a player.
Tuesday’s Wembley encounter against Finland follows for the 50-year-old, who onlookers may remember as a combative midfielder but few will know much about as a coach.
“Tactically you only have to look at our performances at the Euros last year,” Gibbs-White said.
“We didn’t concede a goal so that says a lot. Not just going forward with the ball and how we played, but also defensively how solid we were.
“I believe he is the perfect guy for this job. Tactically he is very, very good, and his man management skills are very good too.”
Carsley has held coaching roles across England’s development teams, as well as working at Coventry, Sheffield United, Brentford, Manchester City and Birmingham.
He also spent spells as interim manager at Coventry, Brentford and Birmingham, but has not managed a club on a permanent basis.
Asked whether that matters, Gibbs-White said: “No, it’s not something I’ve really thought about.
“My job here is to come in and play football and try and help the team as much as possible.
“I believe he is the right manager for the team and hopefully we can put our trust back in him and respect back in him for the games coming up.”
Gibbs-White loves Carsley’s man management skills as much as the dominant, dynamic style he implements.
That approach will likely please fans irked by Southgate’s perceived conservatism, but the Forest attacking midfielder knows this new chapter starts from strong foundations.
“I think you have to look at it as a new start to want to go forward and try and achieve something,” Gibbs-White said.
“Fair play to Gareth. He did an incredible job to make it to the final in the last tournament was obviously incredible. We know how hard it is to win a tournament.
“We’ve shown that we have got the players. It’s a very difficult thing to do. But I do really think we have to take a new sort of look at it.
“Not sort of start fresh. Obviously you still have to build on what we’ve done recently because what we’ve achieved is good – it’s better than what we’ve ever done since (1966).
“We obviously need to build on that, work on a few things and obviously Lee Carsley has got the right people behind him and he is working on things that can be improved.”
