Skip to main content
Published 03 October 2024 4 min read
England Men's Senior Team

Lee Carsley explains squad selection for October Nations League games

Written by:

Adam Drury

England men's interim head coach discusses selection headaches, difficult phone calls and more as he announces a 25-man squad

The squad in full

Lee Carsley spoke to the press after selecting his 25-man squad to take on Greece and Finland in this month's Nations League fixtures.

The England interim head coach discussed Dominic Solanke's first senior call-up for seven years, welcoming back Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer and Phil Foden, and his difficult phone calls with players who missed out.

Here is what he had to say in full.

On how to fit Bellingham, Palmer and Foden in his team…

Like all of the players, it's a challenge with how many talented players we've got. We always want the right balance, who complements who in terms of the way we play. I try not to get too caught up in positions, I think about attributes and the way we can attack the opposition. All three are excellent players as are the rest of the squad.

On Palmer's form…

I'm not surprised. Knowing Cole for a number of years and seeing how he's progressed, every challenge that is put in front of him he takes in his stride. He is never too high and never too low and that's a brilliant attribute to have as a professional footballer. It's great to see him doing so well.

Cole Palmer celebrates his first England goal against Bosnia & Herzegovina
Cole Palmer celebrates his first England goal against Bosnia & Herzegovina

On Solanke's call-up…

Dom's a player I'm fully aware of having worked with him in the past. He was really close to being in the last squad and got injured just before selection. He did so well at Bournemouth and has taken that form into Spurs. He's got a lot of attributes I like, he's an extremely nice person and extremely talented.

On a return for Kyle Walker

I said before the last squad announcement that he hadn't played for Man City but he's a player we're looking forward to having back. I've never worked with him but I know what he's done in the past with England and he's a player we think can help the young players as well.

On players who missed the cut…

There were a lot of players who were close to this squad. With the talent we have available, it would have been possible to pick a 40-man squad and justify having them all in. The challenge is making sure we pick a competitive squad and a squad that can win the two games.

It was a chance to look at other players. It's definitely nothing to do with form, it's just a case in this period of using the next two camps to experiment a little bit, look at other players, and the players who have been left out have all got a case to be in the squad. I thought it was a case of the last squad being fresh and feeling fresh, a lot of energy, and it was important that it wasn't a copy and paste. I want them to feel like they’ve earned their place in the squad. I've spoken to all of the players who aren’t involved and had good conversations with them. Ultimately people want to know where they stand long-term and I've made it clear that this is a short-term decision. I've seen every touch that players have had since our last game and we feel really well informed with the squad we've selected.

On Harry Maguire's absence…

Harry is a player I've worked with in the past. He was very positive in the conversation we had. It was a case of talking about what my decision was and we've got some really good centre-backs who I want to see. I'm wary of taking away really experienced players who potentially won't play much. Harry's got a really important part to play going forward.

On his plans for left-back…

The ideal scenario is that you have a left-footed player who's comfortable on the ball but we've also got really gifted wide players so our width and our pace will mainly come from our wingers rather than our full-backs. We're lucky with Levi Colwill, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Rico Lewis as options.

On the importance of Harry Kane

Harry is really important to us. He's a player who will always score goals. Sometimes with centre-forwards they're an easy target because they're the player you expect to deliver. He needs support and chances created for him. His goal record at Bayern is outstanding and I can only go off what I saw in the last camp, when he was outstanding in the goals that he scored, the way he conducted himself and the way he trained. He's in a good place.

Harry Kane celebrates scoring against Finland at Wembley
Harry Kane celebrates scoring against Finland at Wembley

On appointing Ashley Cole as a full-time coach

Ashley was able to work at Everton and Birmingham while he was with the England Under-21s but I thought it best for him to have a full-time role now because of the number of players we need to get around and the importance of the role. I felt I needed a full-time assistant to take on some of the strains of the job.

On feedback from the world of football…

It's been really positive. People seem to be very complimentary about the team. I understand it's early days but people are very positive. The difference is that everyone has an opinion on the England team, which has been interesting. It's good and people are desperate for the team to do well. The ultimate aim is to win a major trophy.