Lee Carsley is the frontrunner to take over as England manager, believes Alan Shearer, suggesting Spain’s success under Luis de la Fuente could help him land the role.
The Young Lions boss has stepped into the role on an interim basis following Gareth Southgate’s decision to step down after guiding the Three Lions to the Euro 2024 final.
Carsley will take charge of England for the first time this week when he faces off with the Republic of Ireland – who he previously represented as a player – and Finland.
Now Shearer thinks he can secure the job, and pointed to De La Fuente, who previously led Spain at youth level before stepping up to take the senior team to success.
“It’s an unbelievable opportunity for Lee Carsley,” Shearer told Betfair. “We’ve seen it happen with Spain and Luis de la Fuente.
“It might have been underwhelming when he was appointed the Spanish manager, but with his success in the youth teams, it then worked for them in the Euros too.
“They were the best team, and they played the best football. There’s no guarantee of success if you go out and get a big-name manager either.
“This is a great opportunity for Lee. He knows a lot of the players [and] he’s brought some fresh players into the squad to liven things up a bit too.
“If he wins the first few games, then the job could well be his. It’s an incredible opportunity for him.”
Carsley follows in Southgate’s footsteps too, with the latter handed the job on a short-term basis after Sam Allardyce was dismissed one game into his tenure in 2016.
“It’s very similar to what happened with Gareth Southgate,” Shearer added. “He was the Under-21 England manager, had success there and he was given an opportunity.
“It’s now exactly the same for Lee. It will be a very, very proud moment for him on Saturday afternoon. We all wish him well and we hope England go and win.”
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