What happens next with England manager search?

Lee Carsley’s mixed week as England interim head coach has only increased the scrutiny and noise around what happens next in the search for a permanent manager.

A disappointing home loss to Greece where Carsley trialled a side without a recognised striker in a bid to be “courageous” was followed by a 3-1 win over Finland in Helsinki on Sunday.

The shock defeat at Wembley, the reaction to his team selection and Carsley’s somewhat confusing media interviews about his future seem to have derailed what had appeared a solid short-term plan for this Nations League campaign.

So what happens next?

Carsley was appointed as interim coach after Gareth Southgate stepped down in July following England’s defeat by Spain in the Euro 2024 final, “with a view to remaining in the position throughout autumn”.

Carsley confirmed he would oversee the three international breaks of 2024 and the Nations League campaign, with six home and away games against Finland, Greece and the Republic of Ireland.

That leaves a four-month window for a permanent manager to be recruited before the start of World Cup qualifying in March 2025.

Carsley’s immediate task from the FA was straightforward – for England to win their Nations League group and return to the top tier.

The more adventurous way the team played in wins over the Republic of Ireland and Finland in September, and the positive messages from the players about Carsley, many of whom had played under him in the U21s, made it appear as though the job was his to lose – even if the interim coach had publicly played it down.

But Carsley has stumbled around his unwillingness to commit to whether he even wants the role full-time, leaving many people asking: ‘If not Carsley, then who?’

It is no secret that it would be good for the FA if Carsley was to succeed.

Before the Greece defeat last week, a senior source at the FA said it felt the process was “going well”.

That smooth transition, following in the footsteps of Southgate, would back the work they are doing at St George’s Park to create a pathway for players and coaches through the youth set-ups into the senior team.

FA technical director John McDermott and CEO Mark Bullingham are playing a key role in the recruitment process, and after last week’s results there will be even more discussion around Carsley’s final camp in November.

The FA is not commenting or offering guidance either way when asked whether they have conducted any interviews with potential candidates – which is giving space for the media debate about the process and who might be a candidate to rumble on.

It is true that most other job recruitment is done in a confidential manner and the FA believes its process should be no different.

The FA has always made clear it wants the best person available and Pep Guardiola – widely accepted as the world’s best coach – is out of contract at Manchester City at the end of the season. He has been linked with the role in the media, but he may yet extend his contract for a fourth time at City – and whether he could be tempted financially by the FA is another question.

Two nights before England’s match in Helsinki there were reports former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel was in contact with the FA, subsequently denied by his agent. Newcastle manager Eddie Howe is another name linked, along with out-of-work former Brighton and Chelsea boss Graham Potter.

On Sunday, Carsley said the England manager should be a “world class coach”, but then attempted to clarify that he was not ruling himself out of the permanent job on that basis.

“Confusion reigns,” reflected BBC Radio 5 Live correspondent John Murray, who added, “but perhaps only on the outside.

“Within the FA it smacks of all options being kept open. It is possible Carsley’s England could win next month’s final two group matches handsomely, finish top of the group and win promotion back to the top tier of the Nations League.

“It’s also possible that the top trophy-winning coach that Carsley referred to is either not available now or only will be at a later point. Hence the keeping of all options open.

“And so on the outside the guessing game will likely continue into next month.”

Before Carsley took the interim role, BBC Sport wrote that the media scrutiny would be something he would have to get used to – and would be another level to what he has experienced with the England Under-21s.

The questions, and the way his answers this week have been jumped on and interpreted, will have shocked him.

He was asked by the BBC to clarify what he meant by “hopefully going back to the 21s” in the news conference after the Greece loss, to which he replied the word “hopefully” is a phrase he uses a lot.

After the Finland match he was asked if it was the wrong assumption to rule him out of the running for the job permanently, and he responded: “Definitely.”

Carsley said he can understand the “frustration” his non-committal comments about the role are causing, but tried to explain that in his previous experience of being a caretaker manager at Brentford, Coventry and Birmingham City he “literally didn’t do the job” because he was too focused on his future.