Ireland have been dealt a potential blow with the news that triumphant England U21 manager Lee Carsley has been offered a new contract.
The England U21s were the first English team to win silverware in nearly four decades tonight, and the FA look keen on rewarding the man who's delivered them the trophy.
JAMES TRAFFORD YOU HERO 🌟
He saves Ruiz's penalty in the dying moments 😱#YoungLions | #U21EURO | #C4Football pic.twitter.com/t0CvZGhf1O— Channel 4 Sport (@C4Sport) July 8, 2023
The Daily Mail reported before today's final that Carsley is likely to accept the offer.
After the consistent failures of Stephen Kenny's Ireland side, there have been strong calls for the manager to be sacked. And while he may be allowed to see out his contract, the FAI are most certainly considering potential replacements.
One of the favoured named being bandied about was that of former Ireland and Everton midfielder Carsley, but due to his success with England U21s he has been rewarded by the FA.
Lee Carsley: next Ireland manager? Or next England manager?
6 February 2008; Lee Carsley, Republic of Ireland, in action against Julio Baptista, right, and Diego Ribas, Brazil. International Friendly, Republic of Ireland v Brazil, Croke Park, Dublin. Picture credit; Brian Lawless / SPORTSFILE
READ HERE: Ex-Ireland Man Identifies The Big Concern With Stephen Kenny's Team
"That it’s being televised is brilliant for the players,” Carsley said ahead of today's U21 Euro final.
“They’ve played so well and with such freedom it would be great if they could put on a similar performance tomorrow and show the viewers potentially the next [full] internationals and what that team looks like. With it being a final, the last game a lot of these players can play at this level, it’s a big occasion.
“We’ve shown over the last two years [how we can play] – against the Czech Republic, Italy, France, Portugal – and to win [here] was a big thing coming in. We were ranked sixth so to get to the final, to get out of the group to start with, was a good achievement. The team have got maybe two or three levels to go. If they click it’ll be a hell of a performance. The bigger stage means you’ll see a different intensity to the team.”
Carsley has been linked to the Ireland job for months. Should he stay with the FA - which would seem all but inevitable after tonight's result - Ireland face the grim prospect of having missed out on Grealish, Rice and Carsley: three men who all wore the green jersey but are doing their best work for England.
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