Lee Carsley took over from Gareth Southgate in the England dugout following Euro 2024 and earned Nations League promotion in a six-game spell with the Three Lions
Jude Bellingham and Jack Grealish have both heaped praise on outgoing England boss Lee Carsley, for returning joy back to playing for the Three Lions.
Carsley ended his six-game spell in charge of England’s senior set up with a comprehensive win over Ireland. Despite a disappointing defeat to Greece in October, the former Everton midfielder saw his side win promotion in the Nations League after taking on the reigns from Gareth Southgate, who departed after Euro 2024 final defeat.
Thomas Tuchel will be the next figure to take the hotseat when he begins his 18-month contract in 2025. Carsley is set to provide a debrief to the former Chelsea coach ahead of England’s World Cup qualifying campaign.
Bellingham has credited Carsley with reinvigorating his love for playing for his nation. “Huge thanks to Lee and his staff for their work in these last few camps,” Bellingham posted on Instagram. “Got my smile back in an England shirt, very grateful!”
While those words could hint at a frustration from before Carsley’s time in charge, Grealish perhaps even greater reason to have found happiness under the interim boss. The Manchester City star, who was left out of the Southgate’s squad for Euro 2024 in Germany, was even more effusive in his praise.
Grealish saw his return to the England set-up under Carsley and clearly appreciated it. “What a guy & manager!” Grealish wrote on Instagram.
“Absolute legend and thank you for bringing back the enjoyment in an England shirt.”
The Aston Villa academy product believes Southgate made the wrong decision by not including him in the group to travel to Germany earlier this year. Grealish believes he had more to give than some of those selected.
“I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t really agree with it,” he said. “I think you need a bit of a balance in every position on the pitch.
“You look at some players in my position — the likes of Phil Foden, Anthony Gordon or Jarrod Bowen — they’ve scored a lot of goals. But I know that my game is not just about goals. I give so much more to the team than just goals.
“I still think that, yeah, I should have (gone to the Euros) but obviously it wasn’t meant to be.”
“I thank the manager here for giving me that chance and having that trust in me,” Grealish added. “It’s really meant a lot. When I play under managers that show trust in me and communicate with me the way he has in the past two camps, it really helps me.”
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