England interim manager Lee Carsley has insisted that he will continue to coach teenagers alongside his newfound position.
The 50-year-old is firmly in the running to succeed Gareth Southgate on a permanent basis and has been given six matches to prove his worth, with Frank Lampard and Graham Potter linked with the vacancy as well.
Carsley has impressed in the opening two matches of his tenure, leading the Three Lions to 2-0 wins against both Ireland and Finland.
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The shift in job role from under-21 boss to first-team manager is likely to have seen Carsley’s demands increase, though the ex-Everton star is adamant that he will continue to coach students in the Midlands alongside the position.
Carsley delivers one session a week at the Strachan Academy in Warwick, and he believes that working with players aged between 16 and 21 has allowed him to ‘experiment’ with tactics and progress overall as a manager.
He explained: “I still find a way to coach which gives me the chance to practice what I'm going to do with any teams I'm working with. I could potentially be practising for two months on what I'm going to try, rather than a day when you've got two games in an international window.
"It gives me a chance to experiment and then hopefully deliver it when the (England) players are live. I was there in Warwick last Friday (Aug 23). I've been doing that for maybe three years. It's like an education and coaching centre.”
Carsley then went on to explain that regularly working at the academy ensures that he does not lose the coaching side of his managerial profile.
He concluded: “The biggest thing you notice when you first come and work internationally is that you stop coaching and I was adamant that wasn't going to happen to me. My biggest strength is coaching so that is one of the things I didn't want to stop.
“I have other priorities within the job as well. I have to be creative and make sure I have got a couple of hours every week on a Friday morning that I'm able to get out there and try things and get it wrong!”
With one international break now under his belt, it remains to be seen whether Carsley will develop the 4-3-3 system he deployed further with help from the students at Warwick.
