Lee Carsley makes clear England demand to FA bosses with Pep Guardiola on wishlist
The FA are yet to settle on a successor for Gareth Southgate and Lee Carsley has called on England's chiefs to go for the best man - regardless of his nationality
Lee Carsley insists England should appoint the best man for the job - even if he is not English.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola would be the dream target and has not ruled out becoming the next England manager when his current £18m-a-year contract at the Etihad ends next summer. The Football Association have sounded out potential candidates with Guardiola on their hit-list.
Former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel, a Champions League winner, has also been on the Football Association’s radar with the likes of Newcastle boss Eddie Howe and Graham Potter. Carsley has been a candidate for the permanent job, but it would appear the FA are moving in a different direction.
However, he is likely to remain in charge for next month’s remaining Nations League fixtures. Guardiola - who insisted on Italian TV over the weekend that his future is “not decided” - would be the dream ticket for many England fans.
Carsley has come through the FA’s system at St George’s Park where he has done his coaching badges and led England’s under-21s to the European Championships last year. But Carsley, who was born in Birmingham but played for the Republic of Ireland, insists that nationality should not matter and it should be the best man for the job.
When asked whether the next manager has to be English, Carsley said: “No, definitely not. It's important that the best candidate gets the job. We've seen in the past that we've had different nationalities coach the teams, so it should be the best candidate should to get the job. We'd be putting ourselves in a corner if we didn’t say that, and we didn't open our minds a bit.”
Carsley has now made it clear he has not ruled himself out of the running but he is expected to go back to the under-21s after the new manager is appointed.
Guardiola is in charge at City until at least next summer which would mean if the FA do appoint a manager who is currently in a job then it could be that Carsley continues in the meantime.
England have had foreign managers in the past with Sven Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello and appointing a German in Tuchel might provoke a reaction among some fans. There is plenty of talk among other managers that Guardiola is in the frame and the ex-Barcelona boss has clearly heard the gossip as he spoke about it on Italian TV at the weekend.
Guardiola said on Italian TV show Che Tempo Che Fa: “Leaving City? It’s not true, I haven’t decided yet. And it is not even true that I will be the next England coach. If I had decided I would say it … I don’t know either, anything can happen.”
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