Lee Carsley is currently the interim coach of England stepping into the role vacated by Gareth Southgate after Euro 2024.
Carsley had a long playing career at clubs including, Derby, Blackburn, Coventry, Everton, Birmingham and made his mark at international level with the Republic of Ireland.
He moved into coaching.in 2012 and had spells as a caretaker at Coventry and Birmingham and a short stint as manager of Brentford.
But it was at international level that his coaching skills started to shine, managing England U20s and leading the U21s to European Championship success.
In August 2024 he agreed to become interim coach of the full England squad.
Carsley playing career
Born in Birmingham, Carsley came through the youth ranks at Derby where he was part of the side that won promotion to the Premier League in 1995/96.
He made 166 appearances and scored five goals for the Rams before joining Blackburn in March 1999 for £3.4m.
But he was relegated at Rovers and left the club in December 2000, after falling out new manager Graeme Souness.
He spent nearly two seasons at Coventry, tasting relegation again, before signing for Everton in 2002 and went on to become an integral part of David Moyes’ side, making almost 200 appearances for the Toffees.
He won promotion to the Premier League with Derby and Birmingham and was named the Blues' player of the year in 2008/09.
Carsley left Everton in 2008, for Birmingham where he won promotion back to the Premier League and was named the Blues' player of the year in 2008/09.
He returned to Coventry before hanging up his boots in the summer of 2011.
International call ups with Ireland
Despite being born in Birmingham, Carlsey qualified for Republic of Ireland via his grandmother.
He was part of Mick McCarthy’s squad for the 2002 World Cup, where he featured as a late substitute in a group-stage win over Saudi Arabia in Yokohama.
After taking a short break from international football, Carsley went on to earn 40 senior Ireland caps, his last appearance coming against Brazil in a friendly at Croke Park in February 2008.
Carsley in the dugout
After hanging up his playing boots he moved into coaching with the Sky Blues’ Under-18s. He also worked with the development squad and first team, where he was briefly caretaker manager alongside Richard Shaw.
A stint with Sheffield United, working with former Everton team-mate David Weir, was followed by a spell at Brentford, where he took over interim head coach duties in September 2015 ahead of the arrival of Dean Smith – and was named Championship Manager of the Month in October.
As well as working in the England youth set-up, Carsley’s role at Manchester City’s academy saw his under-18s team reach the 2017 FA Youth Cup final where they were beaten by Chelsea.
England youth success
Initially brought into the England Under-19s coaching set up under Aidy Boothroyd – his former boss at Coventry – Carsley continued to gain experience with specialist roles.
He went on to work with the under-21s as well as becoming the Professional Development Phase lead for different age groups.
In late 2020, Carsley’s progression saw him become head coach of the under-20s side before taking on the under-21s job in July 2021.
Carsley soon made his mark on the under-21s, guiding the team to European Championship success last summer – for the first time in nearly 40 years.
England beat Spain in the final and did not concede a goal throughout the tournament in Georgia, with the attractive swagger of his side’s style soon dubbed ‘Carsball’.
Both Cole Palmer and Anthony Gordon have since progressed into the senior side, featuring at Euro 2024 under Gareth Southgate.
Carsley takes England reins
On August 9, 2024, Lee Carsley was named England’s interim manager for the start of the Nations League campaign in September.
He replaced Gareth Southgate, who brought his eight years in charge to an end after defeat to Spain in the Euro 2024 final in July.
Carsley stood in respectful silence as his players sang God Save the King ahead of their Nations League clash with the Republic of Ireland in Dublin.
The 50-year-old former Ireland midfielder had indicated in advance that he would not join in with the national anthem – as has been his practice throughout his career – but it still caused some controversy.
Declan Rice and Jack Grealish returned to haunt the Republic of Ireland as Carsley’s first match ended in a comfortable Nations League victory in Dublin.
The duo set Carsley on course for an impressive 2-0 win over the nation he played for 40 times as a player.
In his second match England captain Harry Kane celebrated his 100th cap with a clinical brace in a comfortable Nations League win against Finland.