England interim boss Lee Carsley has urged Football Association (FA) chiefs not to dismiss the idea of a foreign manager taking over the reins.
Despite FA chief executive Mark Bullingham’s preference for a homegrown successor to Gareth Southgate, Carsley insists nationality should not be a deciding factor.
He reminded that Sven-Goran Eriksson, England’s first non-English manager appointed in 2001, and Italian Fabio Capello, who took charge in 2007, have previously held the position.
However, both had controversial tenures, with Eriksson sacked in 2006 amid off-field scandals and Capello resigning in 2012 after a disagreement with the FA.
As the FA prepares to make a decision following next month’s international games, Carsley has encouraged them to consider all options.
Thomas Tuchel is one of the names linked with the job, and Carsley stated: “No, definitely not (candidate has to be English). It’s important that the best candidate gets the job.
“We’ve seen in the past that we’ve had different nationalities coach the teams, so the best candidate should get the job. We’d be putting ourselves in a corner if we didn’t, and we didn’t open our minds a bit.
“I think it’s important that any job that’s available, you know, everyone that’s at that level should apply for it.”
