Manager Lee Carsley has named his England squad for the two matches against Greece and Ireland at FIFA Days in November. During his three short spells in charge, the 50-year-old has shown faith in the younger generation of players and has been instrumental in developing England's young talent.
Carsley has given debuts to the likes of Angel Gomes, Morgan Gibbs-White and Noni Madueke. He has also continued to develop young talents such as Rico Lewis and Levi Colwill, who have only had one cap under Gareth Southgate. With just six games in charge, Carsley has shown a genuine commitment to giving young players the chance to be part of the squad in 2026, 2028 and beyond.
For his final international call-up, Carsley has called up three players who have never played for the national team. First is Curtis Jones, who has been in impressive form for Liverpool and was included in the squad last time as a back-up. Then there is Taylor Harwood-Bellis, the Southampton centre-back and captain of the England under-21 side that won the European Championship last year. Finally, there is Lewis Hall, the Newcastle left-back – the first time Carsley has been able to call up a natural left-back.
If Jack Grealish is not fit enough to play, Carsley has plans to promote players from the Under-21s. It is possible that Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers or Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, who has impressed at Borussia Dortmund, could be promoted to the first team if there are any absences.
All of Carsley’s signature, mindset and coaching philosophy are easily recognizable in this squad. Although Thomas Tuchel signed a contract to become the official coach of the “Three Lions” 1 month ago, Carsley is still the one who directs the team during this time.
Carsley has expressed his pride in taking charge of the team for such a short period of time and wants to lay a solid foundation for the future of the club. The former Brentford boss believes that in his short time in charge he must select players with the potential to develop into long-term England players.
England will be out of action for four months after the game against Ireland next week, when Thomas Tuchel will take charge. With an 18-month contract and the 2026 World Cup as his sole target, the German is expected to focus all his energy on the tournament in the United States.
This raises questions about the long-term development of young players. With so few games to play and such a high target for the trophy, does Tuchel still have the motivation to build a squad from young talent like Carsley is doing? Selection from the U21s may not be a priority when there is so little time and games to experiment and so much pressure to succeed in the short term.
Tuchel arrives with a distinguished career, but if he focuses short-term on the World Cup, young players will have to work twice as hard to prove themselves. This could be the last period where talent can break into the England squad as easily as it did under Carsley. They will have to take every opportunity to showcase their ability and prove they are capable of playing at major tournaments.
