Gareth Southgate’s resignation on Tuesday after eight years as England manager gives the FA a problem they had hoped to avoid.
FA chiefs wanted Southgate to stay on for the 2026 World Cup, unwavering in their belief he remained the best man for the job.
Instead, his exit has accelerated the process of finding his successor, which was already bubbling away behind the scenes.
While high-profile names such as Eddie Howe, Graham Potter and, more outlandishly, Pep Guardiola have been mooted this week as debate builds over who could be next, the lesser-discussed Lee Carsley must be taken seriously as a highly-plausible candidate.
Carsley is well regarded by the FA, having guided England Under-21s to European Championship glory last summer, when they defeated Spain in the final and earned plaudits for their front-foot style of play.
The FA are understood to be open-minded about Southgate’s successor, yet it could count in Carsley’s favour that, if appointed, he would be following the same path that Southgate himself took in 2016, from U-21s manager to the senior job.
Keen to ensure they get the appointment right, they could hire an interim manager to take charge of September’s Nations League games against Ireland and Finland. Carsley would be frontrunner for that role, but he will also be considered for the full-time position.
The 50-year-old was born in Birmingham but represented Ireland 40 times at senior level between 1997 and 2008.Most notable for seven seasons at Everton, his playing career spanned 17 years.
Carsley earned his coaching badges while still a player at Goodison Park. His coaching career began in 2011 when he became manager of Coventry U-18s. After guiding them to second in the top-flight at that age group, he had two stints as Coventry’s interim manager at senior level.
He briefly became manager of Brentford in September 2015, winning the Championship manager of the month award the following month after four wins from five.
September 2015 also brought Carsley’s first involvement in the England set-up, as he became a coach with the U-19s. He worked his way through the ranks at St George’s Park, including being made England’s ‘out of possession’ coach across all age groups in 2016, before briefly brushing paths with Guardiola at Manchester City, where he reached the FA Youth Cup Final as City U-18s manager.
After 10 months as England U-20s manager, in July 2021, Carsley became U-21s boss. He replaced Aidy Boothroyd, who had finished bottom of the group at the Euros with a team featuring Aaron Ramsdale, Marc Guehi, Conor Gallagher and Eberechi Eze.
Carsley eased into the role with an indifferent Euro 2023 qualifying campaign. Then, ahead of the summer, his side inflicted a first defeat in two years on France U-21s, winning 4-0 in a friendly.
In Georgia last summer, things clicked into gear at the perfect moment, his team winning all six matches inside 90 minutes as they romped to the Euros crown.
More impressive was that despite playing Germany, Portugal and Spain, England did not concede a single goal.
Cole Palmer, Anthony Gordon, Morgan Gibbs-White and Levi Colwill all featured heavily. Carsley was blessed with a gifted cohort of players, but the football they produced turned heads.
Widespread was the criticism of Southgate’s seniors over the past month as they struggled to pass through the lines. But Carsley’s decision to deploy ex-Manchester United man Angel Gomes, now at Lille, as a pivot was a master-stroke as England played out from the back with pace and purpose, transitioning from defence to attack at will.
Though more heralded names will continue to be mentioned — such as Jurgen Klopp, Mauricio Pochettino and Ange Postecoglou — Carsley has achieved what the likes of Stuart Pearce and Southgate himself failed to do, winning England their first U-21 Euros title since 1984.
Significant, too, is that Carsley has already been given a taste of the ambassadorial responsibilities that come with being England manager, having been questioned on a wide range of societal topics by a growing media pack covering the U-21s.
And Carsley has already worked for the England seniors, posted to Qatar and Germany with his assistant manager Ashley Cole and coach Tim Dittmer to scout knockout opponents at the 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024. He is a genuine contender for the job.
