Lee Carsley has attempted to explain his reluctance to confirm whether he desires the England manager position on a permanent basis, attributing it to professional focus. The interim manager, who has previously held similar caretaker roles at Coventry, Brentford, and Birmingham, admits that his preoccupation with long-term prospects at those clubs hindered his ability to perform his immediate duties effectively.
Carsley addressed this issue following England's 3-1 victory over Finland in the Nations League in Helsinki, a response to the previous week's chaotic 2-1 defeat against Greece at Wembley. "I'm definitely reluctant because in the past, when I have taken on these caretaker or interim roles, I have become so engrossed in whether I want the job or not that I actually neglected to do the job," Carsley said. "It's crucial that I maintain an open mind because in that scenario, I'm not making reckless decisions regarding the team. I'm thoroughly considering how the team should play and the squad selection, which is a significant challenge."
Carsley is anticipated to resume his role as the England Under-21 manager once his interim stint with the senior team concludes after the third and final set of Nations League group ties in November. Recent days have seen serious doubts arise about his desire for the main job permanently. On Sunday, Carsley did little to clarify his stance, his attempts to navigate a steady course causing him to oscillate between the two extremes.
"People are always going to try and place their bets on one side," Carsley told ITV. "I'm in the middle. My superiors have made it abundantly clear what they expect from me. This job requires a world-class coach who has won trophies and has the experience, and I'm still on the path to achieving that." When asked to elaborate on this, as he does not yet appear to be a world-class coach, Carsley denied that the permanent job might be too soon for him. "Definitely not," he said. "I tried to make it as clear as possible. My mandate was for three camps [as the interim]. The point I was trying to make is that it is one of the top jobs in the world. I'm not part of the process [to appoint the coach] but it deserves a top coach."
Carsley was also asked if people might have interpreted his comments to ITV as ruling himself out. "Yeah, definitely," he said. "Like I say, it's important that I do the best that I can. It's a privilege to do this job. I feel well trusted. It's a great job and whoever gets it will be fully deserving." Carsley clarified that the constant speculation about his future was not wearing him down. "No, no. I can definitely understand why you [in the media] would be frustrated by it. Definitely I can understand that because, like everyone, clarity is what everyone's looking for in this process."
"I think my remit was really clear in terms of the three camps. I'm not someone that's constantly asking John [McDermott, the Football Association's technical director]: 'Can I have an update?' Because the job is difficult enough as it is currently, so … yeah, I'm quite comfortable in that respect. But, yeah [I can understand] why you would be frustrated."
