Carsley Open To England Hiring A Foreign Manager Amid Guardiola Links

Interim England manager, Lee Carsley, believes the job should go to the best candidate, regardless of nationality, amid reports Manchester City manger, Pep Guardiola has been asked about his interest in the role.

Carsley has distanced himself from leading the Three Lions permanently in recent days after declaring England deserves a “world-class coach who has won trophies” he is yet to lift early in his managerial career.

Guardiola’s contract expires at the end of the season, making him an ideal candidate for the English Football Association (FA), especially after leading Manchester City to six Premier League titles in eight seasons.

The Times reported on Monday that the FA made an informal approach to Guardiola at the beginning of the season over his availability to succeed Gareth Southgate.

“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,” Guardiola told the Italian TV show Che Tempo Che Fa on Sunday.

Former Bayern Munich and Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel is another of the leading candidates for the job.

England has previously been managed by foreign coaches Sven-Goran Eriksson and Fabio Capello on two occasions.

“No, definitely not. I think it’s important that the best candidate gets the job,” Carsley said on whether the England manager had to be English.

“We’ve seen in the past that we’ve had different nationalities coach the team. The best candidate should get the job.

“I think we’d be putting ourselves in a corner if we didn’t, and we didn’t open our minds a bit.”

Carsley is still expected to take charge of England’s final Nations League group games against Greece and the Republic of Ireland next month.

His prospects of securing the job permanently took a significant hit following a 2-1 home defeat to Greece last week, where he fielded an experimental lineup.

Carsley led England’s under-21 side to victory at the Euros in 2023 and said a rare taste of defeat on the international stage was tough to take.

“The hardest bit would probably have been the last two days because I’m not used to losing with the 21s,” he added.

“I wouldn’t say we’re fortunate, but we win a lot of games, so every time I go on camp I generally win two games and go home.

“To lose a game at Wembley in front of a full house was something I took personally.”