Lee Carsley 'rules himself out of permanent England job' as true ambitions emerge

Lee Carsley has reportedly ruled himself out of contention to take over from Gareth Southgate as England's full-time manager.

Carsley was handed the job on an interim basis after Southgate stepped down following England's gut-wrenching Euro 2024 final defeat against Spain.

It was announced Carsley would take charge of the remaining three international camps this year, as the FA continued the search for Southgate's permanent successor.

Such was the positive reaction to Carsley's first two matches in charge - a pair of 2-0 wins against Ireland and Finland - speculation around the ex-Birmingham City ace taking the job full-time began to grow.

But, Carsley appears to have ruled himself out of the running to become England's next manager, as per The Telegraph.

Instead, it's claimed the former Ireland international is instead keen to focus on perfecting his coaching craft.

It comes after a frank revelation from Carsley following England's embarrassing 2-1 defeat at home to Greece last week revealed he is 'hoping to return to the under-21s' following his stint as interim gaffer.

Commenting after the Wembley loss, Carsley said: "I was quite surprised after the last camp in terms of the job's mine and it's mine to lose and all the rest of it.

"My remit has been clear. I'm doing three camps, there's three games left and then hopefully I'll be going back to the 21s. It's had almost no impact."

Whether the FA would've offered Carsley the permanent role is unknown, but it would appear they've already settled on their primary target anyway.

Reports from Germany claim talks have been held with former Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel about the possibility of taking over from Carsley in the new year.

The former Champions League winner has been out of work since walking away from his job at the Allianz Arena during the summer and is said to be interested in the Three Lions hotseat.

England's chiefs could have a fight on their hands to persuade Tuchel the job is the right one for him, given the German has been linked to Manchester United in the past.

It's suggested Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS held talks of their own with Tuchel in the summer, with the pressure on incumbent manager Erik ten Hag continuing to rise with each passing week.

Other mooted candidates for the England job include Manchester City's Pep Guardiola, who is currently out of contract with the Premier League champions at the end of the season.

As well as English duo Graham Potter and Eddie Howe, who have both enjoyed successful spells in the Premier League.

Carsley and England return to Nations League action on Sunday evening when they take on Finland in Helsinki.