Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard are both in line to succeed Lee Carsley as England’s Under-21 manager, with Matt Law and The Telegraph reporting that the current boss is set to consider his position in the summer.
Lampard and Gerrard are currently without managerial positions, with both men sacked earlier this season by Everton and Aston Villa respectively.
But a return to management could be on the cards with the national side’s youth team, with The Telegraph reporting that Carsley is considering a return to club management after this summer’s u21 European Championships.
Law also writes that Scott Parker is in the mix for the job and that the Football Association are considering appointing someone who could potentially succeed Gareth Southgate, with the senior England boss’s contract set to expire following the European Championships in the summer of next year.
Lee Carsley not viewed as a successor to Gareth Southgate
Carsley, who played for Blackburn Rovers, Coventry City, Everton and Birmingham City, had previously held caretaker managerial posts at both Coventry and then also Brentford.
His stint with the Bees came in September 2015 after the sacking of Marinus Dijkhuizen, and he held the position until November of that year when Dean Smith was appointed.
He then went on to take the head coach position at England’s U20 squad in September 2020 but was then promoted to head coach of the England U21 team in July 2021.
However, Law and The Telegraph report that due to his lack of experience managing a senior team, Carsley would not be considered for the England senior job should Southgate decide to leave the post in the summer of 2023.
Southgate nearly left his position after the 2022 Qatar World Cup, but instead decided to stay on after his family convinced him that he had, “one more go and try to get this trophy.”
But with his contract set to expire in just over a year and Carsley potentially leaving his position this summer, Law writes that the FA could appoint one of Lampard or Gerrard as the u21 manager and use the next year to turn them into Southgate’s successor.
Lampard and Gerrard’s resumes
Both of the former England midfielders have experience managing a senior side which the FA are looking for, albeit with mixed levels of success.
Lampard began his coaching career at Derby County, guiding them to a play-off final before leaving to take the job at Chelsea where he played for 13 seasons.
Although he guided the Blues into the Champions League for the 2020/21 season and helped bring talented youngsters like Mason Mount and Reece James into the fold, he was sacked midway through the following season following five defeats in eight games.
His performance at Everton was also a mixed success, with Lampard saving the Merseyside outfit from relegation in 2022, before being fired in January this year with the Toffees 19th in the league.
Unlike Lampard, Gerrard has a trophy on his managerial CV, guiding Rangers to a first Scottish league title in ten years.
But upon joining Aston Villa, the former Liverpool midfielder struggled to meet expectations, with fans turning on Gerrard before he was sacked less than a year into the job.
According to The Telegraph, it is unclear whether either man is tempted by the prospect of succeeding Carsley, with the Under-21 position traditionally taken by managers without top-flight experience.
But the prospect of succeeding Southgate the following year could tempt both men to return to the dugout, so we could yet see one of the two bring the next generation of England players through the ranks.
