The UEFA Nations League is starting its newest campaign soon, and one of the biggest squads on the continent, England, finds itself in quite a pickle. Their subpar performances in the previous rendition of the tournament got them relegated to the second tier – League B.The second torn in the Three Lions’ paw is the fact that they are still without a coach, following Gareth Southgate’s resignation after losing in the EURO2024 showpiece in July.Lee Carsley is reportedly the front-runner to take on the interim role of England manager for their Nations League matches in September.The Three Lions will begin their campaign in the competition’s second tier by facing Ireland and Finland early in the month.The former Everton midfielder has been managing England’s Under-21 team since 2021, leading them to victory in the European Championship last summer.According to The Telegraph, Carsley is in a prime position to be given a trial run with the senior team in the coming weeks.##NAJAVA_MECA_8258451##In his current role, Carsley has an impressive record, having won 23 out of 29 matches with the Under-21s.Spain saw great success by promoting Luis de la Fuente from their youth setup, and Carsley brings experience from managing talents like Cole Palmer, Anthony Gordon, and Marc Guehi.It is common practice for the Under-21 manager to step in temporarily while FA officials search for a permanent replacement. No interim manager has ever been permanently appointed based on their temporary performance.Names like Eddie Howe, Graham Potter, Mauricio Pochettino, and Thomas Tuchel have been mentioned alongside Carsley following Southgate’s departure.The Guardian reported on Monday that the FA’s board has also opened the door to considering foreign managers.Lee Carsley is in line to take over as interim manager for England men’s senior team for next month’s Nations League matches, as the FA continue their process to appoint a long-term successor to Gareth Southgate 🏴👔 pic.twitter.com/5GdN6q3r8D— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 7, 2024 However, those hoping for Jurgen Klopp will be disappointed, as the former Liverpool boss recently stated that he will “rule out” returning to management for the time being.”It would be the biggest loss of face in the history of football if I said, ‘I’ll make an exception for you now,'” Klopp remarked.Carsley, 50, earned 40 caps for the Republic of Ireland during his playing career.England is scheduled to play against Ireland on September 7 in Dublin, followed by a match against Finland three days later at Wembley.The appointment cannot be delayed until the last minute because the interim manager is anticipated to have the authority to select the squad for the upcoming games.
