England fans have lumped praise on interim Three Lions boss Lee Carsley for picking several younger stars in his squad for his side’s upcoming international matches.
Some fans even called on the Football Association to ‘give the former U21s coach the job permanently’, with ex-England and Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand lauding his decision to call up Lille midfielder Angel Gomes.
Carsley has also handed call-ups to Tino Livramento, Morgan Gibbs-White and Noni Madueke, but some fans have raised eyebrows over the omission of Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton – who had been a part of Gareth Southgate’s squad at Euro 2024.
England fans have lumped praise on interim Three Lions boss Lee Carsley for picking several younger stars in his squad
Carsley has also been praised for his decision to call-up midfielder Angel Gomes (pictured)
Surprisingly, there was no room in Carsley’s squad for Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton (pictured)
After the announcement, some took to social media to applaud Carsley’s squad selection.
‘Oh baby I love so much about this, it is FUN,’ one fan wrote.
Another added: ‘I’ve seen enough, give Carsley the job permanently.’
‘What is Carsley cooking here then,’ one user added.
Ferdinand, meanwhile, reacted to the news by tagging Gomes in a Tweet while posting two ‘clapping hand’ emojis.
The 23-year-old midfielder had played a key role in England’s U21 European Championship triumph in 2023, with Gomes making an appearance in all but one match at the tournament.
He also helped Lille finish fourth in the Ligue 1 last season – with the former Manchester United academy graduate, who moved to the French outfit on a free transfer in 2020, returning eight assists across 31 league appearances for the club.
Many took to X (formerly Twitter) to praise Carsley for his first squad selection as England’s interim manager
During a press conference on Thursday, Carsley added he feels people ‘will be excited to see Gomes play’
Ben White was another omission from Lee Carsley’s squad – with the Arsenal full back again stating that he was not available for selection – while Luke Shaw and Jude Bellingham are left out through injury.
Other fans online were also excited to see Gomes’ name on the squad announcement, with the midfielder now in the running to make his England men’s senior debut during their Nations League clash against Ireland in Dublin on September 7.
England will then take on Finland at Wembley on September 10.
Speaking on Gomes’ addition, Carsley said: ‘Angel’s very technical, controls the game with his skill and technique.
‘Very determined, excellent attitude. Technically and tactically excellent. I think he’s a player that people are going to really be excited to see.’
While many have lauded Carsley online for his decision to trust in several younger stars, the England interim boss spoke on his rationale for some of his picks.
He said it was important to recognise what the Three Lions had done in the past under Southgate but also stressed it critical to add some fresh faces.
‘It was important to put my stamp on the squad but also recognise how well they have done in the past,’ Carsley said in his press conference on Thursday.
‘We are coming off the back of losing in a final, I feel the squad need that little injection of energy and enthusiasm.
‘Looking at the squad I have picked today, I have worked with the majority, whether assisting the 21s before or currently so it was important to get players around who understand how I work.’
Harry Maguire (pictured) was also recalled to Carsley’s squad after missing out on England’s Euro 2024 campaign
Man City star, Jack Grealish (pictured) has also been recalled after being left out of Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2024 squad
There are a few other notable omissions from Carsley’s squad, with Kyle Walker, James Maddison and Marcus Rashford all being omitted.
The ex-Everton midfielder again stressed that he wanted to pick players who were in form but those who had missed out would be in consideration for future squads.
Speaking specifically on Walker, he added: ‘I think the fact that Kyle hasn’t played this season would suggest that Manchester City are phasing him in slowly.
‘It’s important that players coming in are up to speed and that they’re ready to play. I would say 98 per cent of the squad have played a lot of minutes.’
Interestingly, Carsley also gave some clarity on where he intends to play Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Marcus Rashford has also been omitted from Lee Carsley’s squad for this autumn’s internationals
Kyle Walker was also left out of the squad but Carsley said that he and other stars would be in consideration for future squads
Southgate opted to play the Liverpool star as a midfielder during Euro 2024 but Carsley asserted that in his system, the 25-year-old will be deployed as a defender.
‘Trent will be a right-back. He has modern attributes that turn him into a midfielder, like Rico [Lewis] and Kyle Walker-Peters, who I watched the other day,’ he said.
‘They’re very comfortable in possession and playing forward. I think we’ll see Trent in those areas but I see him as a right-back.’
