England appoint Lee Carsley as interim boss with decision on Gareth Southgate replacement delayed

Carsley, who managed England under-21s, will take the reins of the senior team for the Nations League matches

Lee Carsley has been appointed England’s interim head coach and will take charge of the Euro 2024 finalists for their Nations League campaign.

The under-21 coach, who won last season’s European Championships, will be Gareth Southgate’s successor in the short term as the FA have postponed the decision on who to put in charge for the long-term.

The FA have given themselves longer to find a permanent replacement for Southgate, with a need to conduct a thorough process and to assess various candidates, while it is only three-and-a-half weeks since he resigned.

But Carsley’s reign will begin next month against the country he represented as a player, Republic of Ireland, with the 50-year-old, who was born in Birmingham, winning 40 caps.

He has since had a successful spell as a coach within the FA, leading first England Under-20s and then the Under-21s, as well as working in Southgate’s technical team for the last three major tournaments.

Carsley said: “It’s an honour to step up and lead this England squad on an interim basis. As I am very familiar with the players and the cycle of international football, it makes sense for me to guide the team while the FA continues the process to recruit a new manager. My main priority is to ensure continuity and our goal is to secure promotion in the Uefa Nations League.”

FA CEO Mark Bullingham added: “Lee is a fantastic coach who is well known to the majority of our current senior squad having worked with most at international or club level. He offers us a very strong interim solution and we are confident he will perform well in the Nations League games ahead. We are grateful to Lee for stepping up to manage the team while we continue with our recruitment process.”