England won't block Carsley job offer from FAI

England head coach Lee Carsley gestures on the touchline during the Euro Under-21 Championship final at the Adjarabet Arena in Batumi, Georgia

England will not stand in Lee Carsley’s way should the FAI approach their U21 manager to take over the country he won 49 caps for.

Stephen Kenny’s continuity in the Ireland post he assumed three years ago is dependent on salvaging their chances of reaching next year’s Euros.

Back-to-back defeats against France and especially fourth seeds Greece all but torpedoed Kenny’s quest for a top-two finish in the group and they only have three points off minnows Gibraltar to show heading into the French rematch on September 7 followed by the visit of top seeds Netherlands to Aviva Stadium three days later.

Even Ireland’s hopes of a backdoor route to Germany through a couple of playoff matches next March is in jeopardy due to nations lower down the seedings making early progress towards direct qualification.

The FAI opted against invoking their get-out clause in the Kenny contract following the June window, aware of the feelgood factor building for the Women’s World Cup, but will be working on contingencies should the last rites be applied to Kenny’s project in the Autumn.

Carsley had emerged as a leading candidate for any vacancy arising and that was based on his record before he recently led England to their first U21 Euro title in 39 years.

The former midfielder has never disguised his desire to assist the FAI, adopting trademark modesty when an offer to former technical director Ruud Dokter went unanswered.

Although his former teammate Jason McAteer only last week stressed that Carsley’s stock could allow him to skip any Ireland offer for another challenge, the FAI won’t fully know his intentions until he’s asked.

News that the English FA have succeeded in convincing Carsley to maintain his employment status on rolling contracts ahead of their new Euro U21 campaign doesn’t alter the broader landscape.

Carsley will be at the helm when England’s latest batch, backboned by a sprinkling of their title winners still underage, begin the defence of their crown in Luxembourg the day after the Dutch Dublin date.

It is commonplace for U21 managers across Europe to be prised away to the senior sphere elsewhere and the former Everton’s affinity with Ireland makes his switch a prospective proposition for the FAI.

Carsley is understood to have a close relationship with the FA’s Technical Director John McDermott who was aware of previous interest from suitors in his U21 boss who held roles beforehand with the U19s and U20s.

“We’ve got a really good group of staff who are led well by Lee,” said McDermott after England’s U21 triumph three weeks in Georgia.

“I've known Lee for a long time and I’ve been extremely impressed with him.” 

Carsley will again be assisted in his England duties by Ashley Cole. The ex-Arsenal and Chelsea defender will be deemed favourite to make a seamless elevation for the remainder of the qualifying campaign should the English FA and FAI reach a deal for Carsley’s release.