Lee Carsley discusses his Nations League squad selection
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Lee Carsley faced the press today after announcing his first squad since being appointed England men's interim head coach.
The 50-year-old explained the new faces in his squad and discussed what he expects from September's Nations League fixtures against Republic of Ireland and Finland.
Here is what he had to say in full.
On his appointment…
"It's a real proud moment for my family and myself. It's been a hectic couple of weeks trying to get my head round the magnitude of the job and getting to as many games as I can. Generally with short-term jobs you go in when things aren't going well but this is the opposite. The expectation is very exciting and I'm really privileged. I'm looking forward to meeting up with the players. I want to put my own stamp on it but we also need to recognise what we’ve done in the past. I'm really motivated and can't wait for the game in Dublin. It'll be a great occasion."
On his coaching philosophy…
"We have some really exciting attacking players. If you can get players in their positions and give them a chance to showcase their ability, it can be exciting. We want to create chances and give those players a chance to attack. We want to play to the players' strengths and that's the philosophy."
Here's Lee Carsley's first #ThreeLions squad! 👀
— England (@England) August 29, 2024
On selecting a number of players he already knows…
"Looking at the squad, I've worked with the majority of them, whether it be when I was assisting or managing the Under-21s. I also wanted to get the staff around me that know how I work and how I want the camp to run. The players who have been called up are really exciting and they were great phone calls to make."
On Morgan Gibbs-White, Angel Gomes and Noni Madueke…
"Morgan's a very attacking player, full of energy, very creative and very exciting. He's got a brilliant attitude and work rate and he's very difficult to play against. He's been very successful with England. A lot of the players we've called in are used to winning. Morgan and Angel have been part of teams that won the Under-17s World Cup and Under-21 EUROs. Angel is different to what we've seen in the past in midfield. He's not so much the classic physical, robust midfielder but he's very technical and controls the game with skill. He's got an excellent attitude and I think he's a player people are going to be excited to see. Noni can provide a bit of energy and enthusiasm and has had a great start to the season with Chelsea."
On Kyle Walker's omission and Harry Maguire's selection…
"It's important players here are ready to play and up to speed. Kyle hasn't played for Manchester City yet, suggesting they're phasing him in. We wanted to pick players who have minutes in their legs. These are two tough games. That was my thinking. Players who aren't involved aren't ruled out, I'm not in a position to do that. I see Harry Maguire as a really good leader. We have young defenders like Marc Guehi and Levi Colwill, so Harry and John [Stones] will be a really good example for them."
On coming through the England system…
"Working in international football and club football is very different. I understand the players in the system and the ones we can select, which is really helpful. I don't think it's necessarily a blueprint but I think managing international players really suits me and the way I want to coach. It helps that I'm picking the best players to play in a certain way. It's been successful for Spain."
"Trent will be a right-back. He has modern attributes that turn him into a midfielder, like Rico [Lewis] and Kyle Walker-Peters, who I watched the other day. They're very comfortable in possession and playing forward. I think we'll see Trent in those areas but I see him as a right-back."