England interim manager tipped for surprise Premier League job

Troy Deeney, a former Watford striker, has predicted that England interim manager Lee Carsley would be given a surprise Premier League position.

After Gareth Southgate resigned in July, Carsley took over as head coach of the England Under-21 team to lead the senior men’s team.

The 50-year-old will not, however, be in command permanently; in the next year, Thomas Tuchel, a former Chelsea manager, will become Southgate’s full-time replacement.

Carsley enjoyed a positive start to his interim tenure with wins over Finland and the Republic of Ireland but came under fire after the Three Lions suffered a shock 2-1 loss to Greece at Wembley last month.

England will face Greece again in Athens before hosting Ireland next weekend in what will mark Carsley’s last match before returning to the U21s, a role in which he has enjoyed great success, most notably winning the U21 Euros in 2023.

While the lower-profile nature of the job may suit the more reserved Carsley, his stint with the senior team will no doubt have raised his profile should he look to move on from the U21s in the future.

And former Premier League striker Deeney has suggested that Carsley could prove a natural fit for Brentford should Thomas Frank leave the post.

Having previously worked as a development coach at the South West London side, Carsley took over the first team as a caretaker manager when the then-Championship side sacked Marinus Dijkhuizen in 2015.

At the time, Carsley said he did not want the job on a full-time basis, but Deeney reckons he might change his mind if afforded the opportunity now.

‘I think where Lee could come in at a different angle is that I don’t think his expectation would be that he gets the top four job straight away,’ he said on talkSPORT.

‘[With] Gareth Southgate, it was like Man United was where he was coming in. That was his entry point.

‘I think Lee would be great at Brentford where he’s worked before if they moved on from Thomas Frank.’

Frank, who was tentatively linked with the United job following the sacking of Erik ten Hag, has been in charge of the Bees since 2018 and has recently reitrerated his desire to stay at the club for some time yet.

Southgate, meanwhile, who was also linked with the vacant Red Devils post, has said he has no plans to return to management in the immediate future.

‘I won’t coach in the next year, for sure,’ Southgate said at the ECA Europe general assembly in October. ‘I’m certain of that.

‘I need to give myself time to make good decisions. When you come out of a really big role you need to give your body time, you need to give your mind time.’

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