England duo take veiled swipe at Southgate as they heap praise on ‘absolute legend’ Carsley
Lee Carsley’s reign as England boss came to an end at Wembley last Sunday as the international break bowed out, with the next fixtures set for March.
Carsley stepped up after Gareth Southgate’s time leading the national team came to a disappointing end with England coming out second best in the Euro’s final.
The six games that Carsley took charge of brought a harmony back to the squad which may have been missing during the camp in Germany in the summer, despite several players dropping out of the November internationals, leaving captain Harry Kane unhappy.
England won five games under the former Republic of Ireland international, with his only defeat coming against Greece at Wembley last month.
Carlsley also used the latest international break to recall Jack Grealish to the squad, though he was one of those who had to withdraw due to an injury to the delight of his Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.
MORE ENGLAND COVERAGE ON F365
👉 F36Skive: Missing Men – When Sir Bobby Robson’s England beat Greece in 1989…
👉 Premier League clubs ‘blame’ Thomas Tuchel decision on England ‘mass exodus’
👉 Tuchel ‘in talks’ with Man Utd star; Southgate snub was ‘big’ factor behind England’s Euro 2024 ‘failure’
Grealish, as well as his fellow Birmingham-born teammate Jude Bellingham aimed to take thin swipes at former boss Southgate after they took to social media to praise Carsley’s short period as the man in the dugout.
Grealish said: “What a guy and manager. Absolute legend and thank you for bringing back the enjoyment in an England shirt,” while Bellingham wrote: “Huge thanks to Lee and his staff for their work in these last few camps. Got my smile back in an England shirt, very grateful.”
Bellingham was influential in the November camp in games against Greece and Ireland, driving forward with his shot rebounding off goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos and found its way into the back of the net in Athens, while he won the penalty at Wembley for Harry Kane’s opener last Sunday.
Grealish had previously spoke out about his frustration of being left out of the Euro’s squad in the summer. On the omission, he said: “I didn’t really agree with it. I think you need a bit of balance in every position on the pitch.”
He continued: “You look at some players in my position — the likes of Phil Foden, Anthony Gordon or Jarrod Bowen — they’ve scored a lot of goals. But I know that my game is not just about goals. I give so much more to the team than just goals.
Grealish added: “I should have (gone to the Euros) but obviously it wasn’t meant to be.”
