New interim England manager Lee Carsley has said that he wants to put his “own stamp” on the team as he prepares to take charge of the senior squad for the first time.
Carsley was appointed as interim earlier this month after Gareth Southgate stepped down in the wake of the Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain. His first match in charge will be the Nations League fixture against Ireland – for whom he won 40 caps as a player – in September.
And speaking to the FA’s in-house media channel, Carsley said that this role is “a very prestigious job following Gareth and Steve [Holland] and the great job that they have done”.
“First and foremost, it’s getting the squad together and picking the right players while trying to get a balance between making sure it’s fresh and competitive but understanding that there are games that we need to do well in and win.
“It’s important that we put our own stamp on the squad and make some adjustments, but also to realise that a lot of the players have done really well in the past and we have to acknowledge that.”
Carsley will be looking to emulate the success of his predecessor, and potentially go one step further if he ends up staying in the job.
The 50-year-old won the U21 European Championship in 2023 with a squad including Cole Palmer, Anthony Gordon and Curtis Jones. It was the first time in 39 years that England had won the tournament.
“I’ve got a relationship with those players and have known them quite a few years,” Carsley said.
“There’s players that I don’t know as well, but I’m very much aware of them and I think we’ve got some outstanding players in the senior team.
“In the pathway, the level of players over the years has really improved and you can see that by the way we’ve done in major tournaments. The next step is winning, and that’s got to be the objective.”
Carsley’s first game will be the aforementioned fixture against Ireland on 7 September at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, with the Three Lions also facing Finland at Wembley three days later.