Former England interim boss Lee Carsley reportedly intends to reject offers to manage club teams in the hope of returning to permanent Three Lions duty in 2026.
The 50-year-old will be officially handing the reins over to Thomas Tuchel in January after overseeing a largely positive UEFA Nations League campaign as Gareth Southgate's immediate successor.
Carsley masterminded five wins from his six matches in charge of the Three Lions, including the 5-0 demolition of the Republic of Ireland that confirmed England's promotion back to League A.
The one blot on Carsley's England notebook was a 2-1 home loss to Greece in October, although Tuchel had already signed his contract two days before that, and Carsley is now set to return to managing the Under-21s.
The Irishman's pleasing work in the Wembley chair has led to suggestions that he could step away from his FA role in favour of taking on a club position, having never had a permanent manager's job in the English Football League.
Carsley to wait for Tuchel to leave?
© Imago
However, The Sun claims that Carsley is happy to bide his time and wait for the England job to become available again when Tuchel's time comes to an end, which as things stand will be after the 2026 World Cup.
The former Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss only signed an 18-month contract with the FA, and it remains to be seen whether a disappointing World Cup campaign in two years' time could extinguish his chances of an extension.
Should Tuchel not stick around for any longer, the report claims that Carsley would be an 'automatic candidate' for the permanent position if he stays with the Under-21s rather than trying his hand at club management.
As such, it will supposedly take an 'unbelievable offer' to tempt Carsley into the world of the EFL, and his friends have said that he feels he would be more well-equipped to take the reins permanently in 2026.
Carsley led England's Under-21s to the European Championship title in 2023, and the 50-year-old handed debuts to no fewer than eight players in Lewis Hall, Noni Madueke, Morgan Gibbs-White, Angel Gomes, Tino Livramento, Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Morgan Rogers and Curtis Jones in the Nations League.
How has Carsley fared in club management?
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Even though Carsley has never had a permanent job as a club manager, he has often stepped into a caretaker role when necessary, as was the case when Southgate vacated his position in the summer.
The 50-year-old's first taste of the touchline came with Coventry City in 2013, where he won three of his five matches in charge before also overseeing 10 Brentford games in 2015, earning five victories.
After managing Manchester City's Under-18s and Birmingham City's Under-21s, Carsley was caretaker boss of the latter's first team for three games in 2017, although one of those results was a heavy 6-1 defeat at Hull City.
Tuchel will soon find out who his first England game will be against, as the draw for the UEFA World Cup 2026 qualifying cycle will be held on December 13.
Ben Knapton
