Jude Bellingham and Jack Grealish appeared to aim subtle swipes at former England manager Gareth Southgate as they offered up glowing tributes to interim boss Lee Carsley.
The comments by the midfield duo hint at underlying dissatisfaction during Southgate’s reign, as they praised Carsley for restoring joy to the England camp following Southgate’s departure after England’s Euro 2024 exit.
The praise comes after Carsley’s successful six-match stint, which culminated in England’s promotion to the Nations League Group A after Sunday’s 5-0 win over Ireland. Despite a loss to Greece in October, the interim manager helped the team bounce back strongly, securing the team’s place in the top tier of the competition.
It was Carsley’s final came in charge before handing over the reins to Thomas Tuchel who will take over as permanent head coach, starting on 1 January with an 18-month contract building towards the 2026 World Cup in Mexico, America and Canada.
Both Bellingham and Grealish used Instagram to express their gratitude toward Carsley, suggesting he had restored some joy to England duty.
Real Madrid star Bellingham wrote: “Huge thanks to Lee and his staff for their work in these last few camps. Got my smile back in an England shirt, very grateful!”
Manchester City’s Grealish was even more effusive in his praise: “What a guy & manager! Absolute legend and thank you for bringing back the enjoyment in an England shirt.”
Bellingham often cut a frustrated figure during the Euros, while last month Grealish opened up on his disappointment about being left out of the tournament squad.
“I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t really agree with it. You look at some players in my position — the likes of Phil Foden, Anthony Gordon or Jarrod Bowen — they’ve scored a lot of goals. But I know that my game is not just about goals. I give so much more to the team than just goals. I still think that, yeah, I should have (gone to the Euros) but obviously it wasn’t meant to be.
“I thank the manager here [Carsley] for giving me that chance and having that trust in me. It’s really meant a lot. When I play under managers that show trust in me and communicate with me the way he has in the past two camps, it really helps me.”
Under Carsley’s guidance England won five out of six matches, including the thrashing of Ireland with goals from Harry Kane, Anthony Gordon, Conor Gallagher, Bowen, and Taylor Harwood-Bellis.
It remains to be seen how the team will continue to evolve under the new permanent manager, but Carsley’s brief but impactful tenure has reignited a sense of excitement within the squad. Carsley will deliver a thorough briefing to the German coach to prepare for England’s World Cup qualification campaign, with Tuchel’s first set of matches scheduled for March.