England to rotate attacking riches with Lee Carsley to rely on ‘finishers’

Lee Carsley is ready to rotate England’s wealth of attacking talent and use “finishers” off the bench after welcoming back Jude Bellingham, Cole Palmer and Phil Foden to the squad.

Bellingham was injured for Carsley’s first matches as interim manager while Palmer and Foden pulled out but they were included for the Uefa Nations League matches against Greece and Finland.

Carsley, who dropped Harry Maguire from his squad, would like to eventually get his young forwards on the pitch at the same time but admits it is unlikely in next week’s international break.

“In the period of the season we are in, I can probably justify why we wouldn’t start all three of them at the same time in terms of the amount of games that they’re playing, what they are going back to and what they have come from,” said Carsley, who played Jack Grealish as a No 10 in his first two games.

“And some of the stages they are at in terms of potentially just coming back from injury or not had that many minutes. We just need to find the balance.”

Carsley has shown that reputations will not count when it comes to his squad selection with Maguire dropped after losing his place in Manchester United’s team in Premier League matches. Eberechi Eze, who featured at last summer’s Euros, was also omitted.

Kyle Walker was recalled now he has minutes under his belt, having missed last month despite being England’s vice-captain. He now resumes his role with his recall for the double header at Wembley and in Helsinki.

Carsley’s focus on ‘finishers’

Carsley has suggested that players are not guaranteed to start and he used the same “finishers” term for substitutes as Gareth Southgate, who picked up the phrase from rugby union.

“I was at the Aston Villa game last night. Ollie [Watkins] comes off and the substitute [Jhon Durán] goes on and gets the winning goal,” said Carsley.  “With the amount of games the players are playing and the importance of the squad, it seems more accepted now that you’re maybe looking at a team for 70 minutes and then almost like the ‘finishers’.

“It’s not something that would have gone down well in my day; if you were subbed it was always seen as a slight on the way that you played. The players now seem a lot more receptive to and open to that kind of thing.”

‘A call-up shouldn’t be taken for granted’

One of the key themes to Carsley’s short reign has been players feeling they deserve a call-up to the squad or a cap. He has called up Tottenham striker Dominic Solanke as reward for his progress in the last year starting when he was at Bournemouth. But Tino Livramento and Jarrod Bowen missed out.

“Harry is so important and will be in the future,” said Carsley. “It was more a case of we’ve got four centre backs that I wouldn’t mind seeing play. I wouldn’t want to bring a really experienced player away and not play any minutes. I don’t think that’s fair.

“I thought it was important that it is not just a copy and a paste, I wanted to make sure it feels fresh, it feels that when you get that email or WhatsApp that you’ve been called up that it’s an achievement because it shouldn’t be something that is taken for granted.

“I have spoken to all of the players who aren’t involved and I’ve had good conversations with them. I have made it totally clear to all of the players that this is a short-term decision from myself.”

Bellingham’s return to the squad means he will be working with Carsley in the seniors for the first time, having been in the Under-21 squad together. They were also at Birmingham when Bellingham was in the Academy but their paths never crossed.

“I had a text with Jude after the last squad after we’d named it and he was obviously out. I have got a good relationship with Jude. He’s a player that I’m looking forward to working with,” Carsley said.

“I was aware of him at Birmingham. And then worked with him for the 21s for maybe two camps, three camps. From a selfish point of view, it’s always nice having a Brummie in the squad and Jude is a great lad, excellent players so I’m looking forward to seeing him.”

02:40 PM BST

Walker gets coach’s support

With Carsley being known as a head coach who places great weight on club form rather than loyalty or past performances for country, there was some speculation before the squad announcement that Kyle Walker may not earn a recall, especially after Trent Alexander-Arnold impressed at right-back in the opening two Nations League matches – after the ill-fated experiment of playing him in midfield at Euro 2024.

However, Carsley today explained that Walker was only left out last time as, at the time, he had not yet played this season and the interim manager said he was looking forward to working with the 34-year-old, who, to be fair, has been one of England’s best performers for a number of years now.

02:27 PM BST

Carsley backs under-fire Kane

Harry Kane has taken a bit of flak in Germany this week, the accusation being that the Bayern Munich forward and England captain is a bit of a flat-track bully who goes missing in big games.

Lee Carsley, the England caretaker head coach, was having none of it.

“I watched the match [Villa beating Bayern] last night and it was a brilliant game, really high tempo. Harry Kane is important to us and he will always score goals. Centre-forwards are an easy target for some, as you expect them to deliver, but there are 10 other players and he needs support and to have chances created for him and I think he is outstanding. He was outstanding in our last camp and is in a good place.”

02:16 PM BST

‘Maguire still has important part to play’

Lee Carsley (England caretaker head coach): “Harry [Maguire] is a player I have worked with in the past and he was very positive in the conversation we had. We have some really good centre-backs who I’m keen to see and I’m wary of bringing experienced players along who might not play much. Harry still has an important part to play in this squad and this campaign.”

02:09 PM BST

Lee Carsley speaks

On Solanke: “Dom is a player I’m fully aware of and he was really close to getting in the last squad but got injured. He has done so well at Bournemouth and has taken that into Spurs. He has lots of great attributes and is very talented.”

On his position: “My remit is really clear, to take these three camps in the Nations League – I am happy with that and it hasn’t changed.”

On Walker: “Kyle hadn’t played a minute before the last squad. I’m looking forward to working with him.”

On Palmer: “I have known Cole for a number of years and have seen how he has progressed. He takes everything in his stride, does not get too high or too low, and that’s a great attribute to have as a player.”

Carsley also confirmed that dropping Eze was for him to look at other players and experiment with his line-up.

02:02 PM BST

England squad announced

As expected, Solanke is called up, Palmer, Bellingham, Foden and Walker return, while Maguire, Eze and Bowen are left out. And no call-up for Maddison.

Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Nick Pope (Newcastle United).
Defenders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Levi Colwill (Chelsea), Marc Guéhi (Crystal Palace), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Rico Lewis (Manchester City), John Stones (Manchester City), Kyle Walker (Manchester City).
Midfielders: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Conor Gallagher (Atletico Madrid), Morgan Gibbs-White (Nottingham Forest), Angel Gomes (Lille), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Declan Rice (Arsenal).
Forwards: Anthony Gordon (Newcastle United), Jack Grealish (Manchester City), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Dominic Solanke (Tottenham Hotspur), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).

02:00 PM BST

Maguire and Eze dropped

News from our man at St George’s Park...

Harry Maguire and Eberechi Eze have been dropped from Lee Carsley’s squad to face Greece and Finland this month in the Nations League.

Maguire missed Manchester United’s defeat by Tottenham at the weekend with a knock but has recovered to travel to Porto for tonight’s Europa League fixture. He has lost his place Erik ten Hag’s team for Premier League games, with Matthijs De Ligt preferred.

Eze played at the Euros in the summer and his omission was not expected, while Tino Livramento and Jarrod Bowen also miss out but Kyle Walker is recalled.

01:56 PM BST

Solanke’s last England appearance

Oh how times fly.... these pictures of Dominic Solanke’s first and last appearance for England, as a substitute in a friendly against Brazil in November 2017 at Wembley, make one feel a little nostalgic.

That kit looks surprisingly retro as Solanke leaves Casemiro on his behind (below) with skipper Eric Dier looking on, and as he leaves the pitch with team-mates Danny Rose, Tammy Abraham and Joe Gomez (bottom).

01:41 PM BST

Anthem controversy

Last month’s double header was of course overshadowed by the controversy about England’s caretaker manager Lee Carsley – who represented Ireland as a player – choosing not to sing the national anthem.

It was not just for the trip to Dublin, as Carsley said he never sings the anthem.

It caused a huge furore, with many England fans upset by Carsley’s stance, but he stood firm and is unlikely to change course.

Let’s see if the issue rears its head again at this afternoon’s press conference at St George’s Park...

01:35 PM BST

Nation’s League recap

England are second in their Nation’s League group – B2, in the second tier of the competition after relegation in 2022 – but have the chance to claim top spot when they host leaders Greece next Thursday.

Like the Greeks, Lee Carsley’s team have a 100 per cent record from their opening two games, but Greece top the table with a +5 goal difference compared with England’s +4.

England beat Ireland 2-0 in Dublin – where Ireland old boys Declan Rice and Jack Grealish did the damage – in Carsley’s first match in the caretaker role, then won 2-0 at home to Finland thanks to a Harry Kane brace.

The winner of England’s group will be promoted to the top tier, while the runner-up will face a home-and-away play-off against a third-ranked team from one of the League A groups. Not confusing at all.

01:32 PM BST

Bellingham poised for comeback

Another key midfielder poised to return to the England squad is Jude Bellingham, who missed the opening two Nations League matches because of a leg muscle injury.

The Real Madrid superstar is now back in action and has been busy off the pitch as well, launching a self-made documentary on Youtube.

However, Telegraph Sport’s Thom Gibbs has not been overly impressed, saying it is a controlled film light on substance – read his full take here.

01:17 PM BST

Palmer the main man

Cole Palmer has set the Premier League alight this season – not least with his four goals in the first half to sink Brighton last weekend – and he is due to return to the England squad for the upcoming matches.

The Chelsea man missed the opening two Nations League games with muscle fatigue but is now set to become a central part of Lee Carsley’s plans.

Cole, 22, was used as a substitute by Gareth Southgate during Euro 2024, much to the frustration of many England followers.

But caretaker head coach Carsley – who hopes to land the job full time – has made it clear that Palmer will be the fulcrum of his team from now on.

Read Matt Law’s full article here.

12:56 PM BST

Solanke’s return

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of England’s squad announcement for the Uefa Nations League matches at home to Greece (next Thursday) and away to Finland on Sunday, October 13.

The headline news at the moment is that Dominic Solanke is set to earn a call-up, seven years after his only previous senior England appearance, as a substitute in a friendly against Brazil in November 2017 at Wembley.

The 27-year-old former Chelsea, Liverpool and Bournemouth striker has had an impressive start to the season after becoming Tottenham’s record signing in the summer.

The £55 million striker – who represented England from under-16 to under-21 level, winning the European U17 Championship in 2014 and the 2017 U20 World Cup – has three goals from his first six appearances in Ange Postecoglou’s side, all of them coming in his last three games.

Solanke recently spoke of his desire to return to the England set-up, saying: “Everyone wants to play for their country and it’s definitely something I’m looking to get back into.

“Was England a part of the idea behind my transfer [to Spurs]? Not really. But if you are doing your stuff for a club like Tottenham, it is definitely a lot easier to get into the fold.

“Tottenham is my main aim. But then hopefully I can get into the England team.”

We are also expecting to see the return of Cole Palmer and Jude Bellingham after they missed the first two Nations League matches of the season, a pair of 2-0 wins over Ireland (away) and Finland (at home).

That likely means more disappointment for Solanke’s Spurs team-mate James Maddison, who has been targeting a return to the England squad after the heartbreak of being chopped from Gareth Southgate’s final group for  Euro 2024.

There are also reports that Manchester United centre-back Harry Maguire will be left out.