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Football

14th Dec 2022

Ireland reportedly line up Lee Carsley as next national team manager

SportsJOE

Carsley played 40 times for the Republic of Ireland.

The FAI view England Under-21 manager Lee Carsley as the long-term successor to Stephen Kenny, according to reports.

Kenny is under contract for another two years and is likely to remain in the post until at least the end of the Euro 2024 campaign.

Yet, according to reports in the UK, Carsley is on the FAI’s radar should they make a change in the dugout in the future.

According to The Telegraph, Carsley will not be considered to replace Gareth Southgate should the England manager step down from his role following the team’s exit at the quarter-final stage of the World Cup.

Carsley, who played 40 times for the Republic of Ireland, however, is reportedly in the thoughts of the decision-makers within the FAI.

According to the report: “Indeed the suggestion is that he is very much likely to be the long-term successor for the Football Association of Ireland if it does not push on with Stephen Kenny beyond Euro 2024 – or perhaps even before then. In that respect, the English FA has done its development work for the FAI.”

Carsley was born in Birmingham but represented Ireland after qualifying for the country through his grandmother who was from Cork.

The former Everton midfielder played for the Boys in Green between 1997 and 2008 and was part of the Ireland squad for the 2002 World Cup.

Carsley, 48, is a highly-rated coach and has worked with Coventry City, Brentford and Birmingham City. He has worked for the English FA since 2020, first as England Under-20 manager and as the Under-21 manager since 2021.

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