Lee Carsley has revealed that he did not formally apply to become the next England manager after Gareth Southgate’s resignation.
The Football Association (FA) advertised for a new manager on July 19 with a closing date of August 2. Carsley, 50, was named interim manager one week later, and is set to take his fourth match in charge against Finland in the Nations League on Sunday.
But speaking before the game, Carsley admitted that he did not even apply for the job during the two-week window for applications. Asked by talkSPORT whether he had submitted an application, Carsley said: “No, I didn’t apply for it.”
Asked why he had not, Carsley reiterated that the FA had asked him to take over and that he was happy with his old role as coach of England’s Under-21 team.
“I have been doing the Under-21s and I am really happy with my job,” Carsley said. “I am an employee of the FA and I was asked to take the senior team which is a privilege. It was the proudest moment of my career. I believe the coach that comes in has got a really good chance of winning and we deserve the best one that’s out there.”
Carsley had pushed back this week against the assumption that he will automatically get the top job. “I don’t see this as an audition at all. I see it as simply as I was asked to take the team for three camps, it wasn’t with a view to anything. It was literally: do your best, try as hard as you can, and look after the players. And that is what I am doing.”
The admission casts further doubt on whether Carsley actually wants to be the permanent replacement for Southgate, on the back of his saying on Thursday night that “hopefully” he would return to the Under-21 job.
Asked in his pre-match press conference on Saturday evening to clarify those comments, Carsley said that “the plan” was for him to take the September, October and November internationals but did not go into any more detail than that.
“‘Hopefully’ is a word and a phrase that I use quite a bit,” Carsley said, defending his use of the adverb. “There’s obviously no guarantees in life, including tomorrow. It’s a job that I’m really proud of, the Under-21s. A job that I am massively invested in. But I know there’s no guarantees.
“The plan is the same, give this job for the three camps the best that I can do, along with the rest of the staff. And hopefully we can be in a good position.”
England are currently second in Group 2 of League B in the Nations League with six points from their opening three matches — three points behind group leaders Greece, who defeated them 2-1 at Wembley on Thursday.
(Carl Recine/Getty Images)
