Coach Lee Carsley has announced the England squad list for the two matches against Greece and Ireland during the FIFA Days in November. In his three short spells in charge, the 50-year-old has shown confidence in the young generation, while strongly promoting the development of English talent.
Carsley has given debut opportunities to the likes of Angel Gomes, Morgan Gibbs-White and Noni Madueke. He also continued to develop young talents such as Rico Lewis and Levi Colwill, who have only had the opportunity to wear the national team jersey once under Gareth Southgate. With only 6 caps, Carsley has shown a sincere commitment to giving young players the opportunity to be part of the squad in 2026, 2028 and beyond.
In his final training session before leaving the national team, Carsley called up three players who had never played for the national team. First is Curtis Jones, who is in impressive form for Liverpool and was included in the squad last time out as a back-up option. Then there's Taylor Harwood-Bellis, Southampton's centre-back and captain of the England U21 side that won the European Championship last year. Finally, there is Lewis Hall, Newcastle's left-back - the first time Carsley has been able to call up a real left-back.
If Jack Grealish is not fit enough to compete, Carsley has a plan to promote the players from the U21 team. Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers or Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, who are impressing at Borussia Dortmund, could be promoted to the first team if there are any absences.
All of Carsley's mark, 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" a month ago, Carsley has been the team's coach for the time.
Carsley has expressed his pride in leading the team for a short period of time and he wants to lay a solid foundation for the future of the team. The former Brentford captain believes that with this short time, he must select players with long-term development potential for the England team.
After next week's match against Ireland, England will not play for 4 months. Thomas Tuchel will then take charge. With an 18-month contract and the only goal of the 2026 World Cup, the German strategist is expected to focus all his efforts on the tournament in the US.
This raises questions about the long-term development of young players. With a small number of games and a large goal for the golden trophy, will Tuchel still have the motivation to build a squad from young talents like Carsley is doing? Selection from the U21 team may not be a top priority as the time and number of matches for testing is too small and the pressure for short-term success is too great.
Tuchel has come with a successful career, but if he focuses on the World Cup goal in the short term, the young players will have to work twice as hard to assert themselves. This could be the last stage where talent can step into the England squad as easily as under Carsley. They will have to take every opportunity to show their ability and prove they are capable of playing in major tournaments.
