England Under 21s boss Lee Carsley 'in pole position to succeed Gareth Southgate as interim manager'

England's Under 21s head coach Lee Carsley is reportedly in pole position to succeed Gareth Southgate as interim manager.

The former Everton player is highly likely to lead the Three Lions in their next international match against the Republic of Ireland in less than eight weeks' time, according to The Sun.

The FA are expected to mirror the appointment of Southgate in 2016, who was promoted from Under 21s boss to England manager - also on an interim basis initially.

This comes after it was revealed that it would be 'highly unlikely' for Man United to swoop for Southgate – even if the club were to endure a disastrous start to the season and part ways with Erik ten Hag.

FA bosses have confirmed that they are looking at appointing a new manager, but they feel Carsley, 50, is best placed to take over for England's next match. 

A number of candidates have been linked with the England job so far, including Eddie Howe, Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter and Jurgen Klopp.

However, it is understood that Tuchel and Klopp are not realistic prospects at this stage.

Carsley, born in Birmingham, has been in the England youth set up since 2018. 

He first began as England Under 21s assistant manager before taking over the Under 20s side as he then became the Under 21s boss in 2021. 

Carsley led England to a 1-0 victory over Spain in the U21 European Championship final last year as he secured silverware at youth level.