Lee Carsley made an embarrassing mistake ahead of his first match as England interim manager.
Following the departure of Gareth Southgate after the conclusion of Euro 2024, Carsley has been tasked with holding down the fort with the Three Lions and prove why he should be the manager of the squad on a full-time basis.
However, his first match as interim boss did not get off on the right foot at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday. Ahead of England’s clash with the Republic of Ireland, Carsley sat in the wrong dugout ahead of kick off.
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He was soon made aware of his error by a nearby official and guided in the direction of the away dugout, with Carsley seeing the funny side of his mistake by cracking a smile as he left the home section.
Carsley represented the Republic of Ireland as a player and was even tipped to become their manager earlier this year when reportedly being approached for their managerial vacancy.
However, he opted to remain with the Three Lions and will be hoping that his decision pays off when the FA make a final decision on who will succeed Southgate for the coming years.
Lee Carsley just sat on the Irish bench by mistake!
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS_EN) September 7, 2024
Old habits die hard...#beINNATIONSLEAGUE #IREvENG pic.twitter.com/ilmW7z5hnH
Ahead of kick-off, Carsley was asked about the reception he may receive from the home crowd in Dublin, to which he replied: “I’m not sure, to be honest.
“But if the reception that we had off the kids outside (the hotel) was anything to go by it will be very positive.”
Carsley isn’t the only individual in the Three Lions side to switch allegiances, with Declan Rice and Jack Grealish both swapping Ireland for England during their younger years. Rice made three appearances for the Republic of Ireland before deciding to make the bold change, with Grealish making the decision as an Under-21 player.
Speaking about the reaction that both players may receive at the Aviva Stadium earlier this week, Carsley said: “We spoke – not only (to) Jack and Declan, to the whole squad – we spoke about the atmosphere we expect it to be. Exciting, passionate, loud, but it’ll be no different to what the players are used to in Premier League games or high level games. I think they’ll be ready for whatever comes out.”
