Lee Carsley has made it crystal clear he does not want to be a manager. But that does not mean he isn’t interested in becoming the England boss.
The former Everton midfielder has been given six matches to prove his worth in charge of the Three Lions.
He got off to the perfect start on Saturday as England beat Ireland 2-0 in Dublin thanks to goals from Declan Rice and Jack Grealish.
But when it comes to job titles and responsibilities, Carsley feels his best work is done on the training ground.
So he has told the FA that he wants to be the head coach of the national team, rather than manager.
“Looking back to when I first started the manager would do everything, including organising travel, transfers,” Carsley said.
“Those days are probably gone now. The amount of support now that’s based around a head coach gives coaches the freedom to do what they do best.
“I wouldn’t say I was a manager, definitely not. I see myself as a head coach. I have some real good support around me who help and take a lot of pressure away from me. That’s gives me the chance to coach and be on the grass and hopefully make a difference.
“That’s the way I have got to do it. I couldn’t see myself doing it any other way. I am really lucky with the people that are in charge and are my bosses. They know what my strengths are and aren’t gonna ask me to be anything I am not.
“My strength is coaching, being on the pitch. This (talking) isn’t my strength, what I am doing now. It’s something that I understand that comes with the job, as I saw on Friday. I have my own way of doing it.”
Carsley immediately stamped his mark on the England team as Jack Grealish and Anthony Gordon played with freedom in the attacking third.
England’s Achilles’ heel in recent tournaments has been their inability to break down teams that play in a low block.
But there were promising signs at The Aviva Stadium that Carsley’s style could address those concerns.
“We need to do that,” said Carsley. “The end goal is doing that against the top teams in the world in the biggest moments. They have got two years to get to that point. We have gone a good way to doing that.
“One of my biggest strengths is my coaching and once again it’s another chance to affect the players and spend some time.
“Even the possession drills we did before the game had a tactical element to it. So it helps. I have spoken before about the lack of time you get with the players.”
