England left with dilemma over four-man shortlist after Lee Carsley bombshell
England interim head coach Lee Carsley has cast doubt on his future in the role following Thursday night's defeat against Greece and The FA now face a huge decision
The Football Association have a big decision to make in the wake of England's chastening loss against Greece on Thursday night.
The Three Lions were on the wrong end of a major upset against Greece, who bravely fought their way to a 2-1 win less than 24 hours after the tragic passing of defender George Baldock.
Lee Carsley had made a strong start to his interim reign last month with wins over the Republic of Ireland and Iceland. However, the 50-year-old dropped a major bombshell post-match when he revealed plans to return to his role as head coach of the Under-21s.
He said: “I was quite surprised after the last camp in terms of the job’s mine and it’s mine to lose and all the rest of it. My remit has been clear. I’m doing three camps, there’s three games left and then hopefully I’ll be going back to the 21s. It’s had almost no impact.”
Although Carsley was asked asked to clarify his comments and later insisted he was neither ruling himself in or out of the running for the job on a full-time basis, England's poor showing against Greece also raises question marks.
It emerged earlier this month that The FA had not opened talks with any of the four candidates who had been prominently linked with the role: Jurgen Klopp, Thomas Tuchel, Eddie Howe and Graham Potter.
Of those four, one has already agreed to take on a new role, while two others could come into the reckoning if Manchester United sack Erik ten Hag. That could be a major problem if England now decide to look elsewhere - but should they stick or twist with the idea of appointing Carsley? Here, Mirror Football assesses the state of play...
Join the debate! Who do you want to see as the next England manager? Let us know here.
Jurgen Klopp
The former Liverpool boss would have been a dream choice to succeed Gareth Southgate after leaving Anfield in the summer, but it always felt like a bit of a reach.
Klopp has, though, been linked with international roles in the past and with the Germany job locked down until after the World Cup in 2026 then an approach could have potentially borne fruit.
However, that boat has now definitely sailed with Klopp signing up for a new head of soccer role with the Red Bull group.
Thomas Tuchel
Unattached and available, Tuchel would be ready to step in immediately - but that fact isn't lost on others, either.
The German has been widely reported as the number one choice to succeed Ten Hag at Manchester United if the club hierarchy do decide to make a change following a high-profile meeting earlier this week.
It certainly feels like a matter of if rather than when that decision is made, which could put Tuchel out of reach.
Graham Potter
Another in the frame for the Manchester United job, Potter has admirers both within the FA and at Ineos, who are now calling the shots at Old Trafford.
Potter would fit the criteria if it's decided an Englishman should take on the head coach role and his ill-fated stint at Chelsea hasn't harmed his stock significantly. These factors, plus his immediate availability, could even make him the favourite for the role as things stand.
But again, the tumultuous situation at United could cause England a major headache if they are to persist with their plan of making an appointment after next month's Nations League fixtures.
Eddie Howe
Like Potter, Howe is a name who certainly deserves to be in the mix for the role following his sterling body of work in the Premier League.
Howe achieved the unthinkable during his superb tenure with Bournemouth and has also re-established Newcastle in the upper echelons of the Premier League, although there have been challenges on Tyneside of late.
He should be attainable and while talk has centred around Carsley of late, Howe could now come back into contention.
Lee Carsley
Although he insisted otherwise last night, Carsley felt like a shoo-in for the permanent job after last month's Nations League double-header, but the Greece debacle must have severely dented his chances now.
His attempts to shoehorn all of England's top attackers into the same team was bold but also naïve, as were his post-match comments where he seemed to indicate he would 'happily' head back to the Under-21s before being pushed for clarity. Regardless of if wires were crossed on the night, it was a far cry from his previous assured outings in front of the media.
But, maybe we shouldn't be so quick to throw the baby out with the bathwater. After all, Carsley's approach was being lauded just a few weeks ago and his brand of football is exactly what a lot of people were crying out for during Southgate's tenure.
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