With Thomas Tuchel waiting to start work in January, England interim head coach Lee Carsley has one last chance to pick a squad that he feels demonstrates the breadth of talent which will be at the new man’s disposal.
Carsley has never looked entirely comfortable in the spotlight, after stepping up from his job in charge of England Under-21s when Gareth Southgate called time on almost eight years in charge following the summer’s European Championship. He has enjoyed his time out on the grass with the players more than being in the media glare and under the public’s scrutiny over his decisions.
That applies particularly when he has named his two squads so far.
Tuchel will have a deep talent pool to choose from once he takes over in the new year for the push towards World Cup 2026 and that can be a luxury if utilised properly, but also brings added pressure.
Carsley has tried to stay true to his insistence that none of his selections would follow a “copy and paste” formula.
“I wanted to make sure it feels fresh … feels that when you get that email or WhatsApp (to say) that you’ve been called up, that it’s an achievement because it shouldn’t be something that is taken for granted,” he said after naming his previous squad for what turned out to be a home defeat against Greece and a narrow away win in Finland last month, both in the Nations League.
“I thought it was important that it is not just a copy and paste. I want them to feel like they have earned their place in the squad. The reality is you want a player to be coming in in top form and fighting for a position in the team.”
Picking players on reputation and not form was a criticism often laid at Southgate’s door.
There were four changes in Carsley’s October squad, including a first call-up in seven years for now Tottenham Hotspur striker Dominic Solanke, while Manchester United defender Harry Maguire, one of Southgate’s stalwarts, was left out. Carsley has shown he has not been afraid to look in a different direction.
So, who could be the surprise contenders, the outsiders, for his final squad being named today (Thursday), as England look to win Nations League group B2 in these games away in Greece a week today and at home against the Republic of Ireland three days later and so win promotion back into Europe’s elite?
Left-back has been a problem position for England in recent years because of injuries to Manchester United’s Luke Shaw and Ben Chilwell of Chelsea. Manchester City’s Rico Lewis played there in the shock 2-1 home defeat against Greece last month while Trent Alexander-Arnold swapped flanks from right-back for the 3-1 win in Finland three days later, but there are a couple more options available to Carsley this time.
Reece James finally returned from a pre-season injury for Chelsea last month and has completed the 90 minutes in back-to-back appearances for the first time since April 2023. Although predominantly right-sided, he has started his club’s past two Premier League games at left-back.
However, new Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca is being cautious in how he handles James, attempting to nurse him back to full fitness. So an England squad return this month may seem premature.
Carsley would like a left-footed player at left-back to provide balance and Newcastle United’s Lewis Hall is having a good season. The 20-year-old has been on the England pathway since the under-15s and has played three times under Carsley for the under-21s.
It took Hall until the back end of last season to be trusted by Newcastle coach Eddie Howe following a summer move from Chelsea, but he has grabbed his chance this season, with nine starts from their 13 matches, and has come on a lot defensively, is technically efficient and has a good engine to get up and down.
Hall dealt with Bukayo Saka well last weekend in a 1-0 win against Arsenal, where he was named man of the match, and is arguably Newcastle’s player of the season so far.
Another young player in good form is Liverpool’s Curtis Jones.
The 23-year-old has played both as one of the two defensive midfielders and in a more advanced role in his 12 appearances this season, and made a big impact off the bench in the 2-1 comeback win over Brighton & Hove Albion at Anfield at the weekend, teeing up Mohamed Salah for the decisive goal, before starting and creating the opener for Luis Diaz as they beat Bayer Leverkusen 4-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday.
Emile Smith Rowe has also started the season in good form for new club Fulham after a summer move from Arsenal, scoring twice and providing two assists in 12 appearances across all competitions. The 24-year-old has a goal and an assist from his three senior caps but has not been in the England picture since playing on the left wing in a 3-0 friendly win against Ivory Coast in March 2022.
The problem for players such as Smith Rowe is the abundance of attacking midfield talent available to Carsley — and ultimately Tuchel.
Tottenham’s James Maddison is another from that group who, at the age of 27, probably would have earned more than his seven caps but for the competition he faces to get in the team, even when he has been in his best shape. But he has enough on his plate to get his place back in the starting line-up at club level right now with Dejan Kulusevski the preferred choice as Ange Postecoglou’s chief playmaker.
Carsley is more likely to look to the future, but with Nations League promotion in the balance, he could spring a big surprise and go back to Jordan Henderson, who has been in good form as captain of Dutch club Ajax, among his defensive midfield options. The 34-year-old has 81 caps but last featured in an England squad in March, when he was an unused substitute in a friendly against Belgium, and it would be a major shock to see his name in Carsley’s last squad.
Bournemouth’s Lewis Cook earned his only senior cap in 2018, but has begun the season in solid fashion. The 27-year-old deserves to be in the conversation, but an actual call-up would be another surprise.
Like Henderson, who left Liverpool for Al Etiffaq in summer 2023 before returning to Europe with Ajax in January, Brentford striker Ivan Toney chose to move to the Saudi Pro League, and joining Al Ahli in the most recent transfer window seems to have ended his England career as the 28-year-old was not picked by Carsley in either the September or October squads.
But there are some younger attacking players about who Tuchel will be hoping to see progress.
Aston Villa midfielder Morgan Rogers has been in excellent form and is expected to shake off a minor knock, but Villa manager Unai Emery has been vocally cautious about his workload, even questioning the 22-year-old’s recent call-ups to the under-21s, insisting there is no point giving him England recognition unless it’s with the senior team.
With concerns over early-season fatigue as Villa juggle Premier League and Champions League football, it is doubtful Emery would be receptive to even a senior squad place now, although it would surely be a dream come true for Rogers.
Callum Hudson-Odoi has been equally as impressive on the left for Nottingham Forest on their surprise climb to third place, starting eight of the 10 Premier League games, and scoring twice. Hudson-Odoi, who turns 24 today, earned three senior England caps as a Chelsea teenager five years ago but has not been involved since.
If Carsley really wants to spring a surprise with a naturally left-sided player, Brentford’s Keane Lewis-Potter would do the trick. Like Hudson-Odoi, the 23-year-old has started eight of the 10 league games and has caught the eye with his performances. Carsley certainly has options.
“With the talent we have available, it would have been possible to pick a 40-man squad and justify having them all in,” Carsley also said last month. “The challenge is making sure we pick a competitive squad and a squad that can win the two games.”
The core of the squad Tuchel will inherit as England look to take the final step to finally winning a major tournament again may look set in stone, but there are still opportunities for emerging players to make a mark.
Additional reporting: Jack Pitt-Brooke, Chris Waugh, Simon Johnson, James Pearce and Jacob Tanswell
(Top photos: Getty Images)
